'HALO' Exclusive Series Preview [SXSW 2022]

Paramount+ Tries to Capture the Gravitas and Intensity of ‘Halo’, as it forays into the tough task of adapting a beloved game.

The year is 2001, an alternative to Sony’s seminal juggernaut the Playstation 2 has arrived in the form of Microsoft’s XBox and with it is a launch title from legendary game developers Bungie. That video game was known as HALO: Combat Evolved. Quickly, HALO took the world by storm with its crisp shooting mechanics, momentous gameplay and excellently crafted lore. In the years following, HALO has released 16 sequels and spinoffs as well as dozens of books, Master Chief has become almost as recognizable as Mario and Sonic and the franchise has gone on to inspire and endear itself to several generations of gamers. One area that Microsoft has been hesitant to commit to entering is the Live-Action Adaptation. Several animated shorts and short films have been produced but nothing close to a full series or feature length film. This changes March 24th as Paramount Plus unleashes the Legendary Master Chief upon the world in the form of a Live-Action series simply titled: HALO.

Leading the series are creators Steven Kane and Kyle Killen. Kane is best known for co-creating the series The Last Ship which aired between 2014 and 2018 and Killen created the series Awake and wrote the Mel Gibson drama The Beaver. Taking most of the Directing for the series is Otto Bathurst who directed the 2018 action film Robin Hood. Early on the decision was made to not follow the canon established by the video games and forge ahead with a new story. This of course didn’t sit well with the hardcore fanbase but ultimately could prove to be the smart move. The Witcher chose this route with its adaptation and has seen great success, compare that to the constant scrutiny of the of Game of Thrones that ultimately led to the disappointment of the fanbase when the final season ran out of established story and didn’t live up to the lofty expectations.

Starring as the legendary Master Chief is Pablo Schreiber. Schreiber started his career in mostly comedic roles as Pornstache on Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black and the short live HBO series The Brink. Slowly he has stepped into the action world by taking roles in Michael Bay’s 13 Hours and Den Of Thieves. If anyone was worried about how he fill Master Chief’s massive shoes need worry not, Schreiber is 6 foot 5 inches tall and, judging by his Instagram feed, has bulked up significantly for the role. In motion, Master Chief is explosively violent. He moves with deadly efficiency and brutality and impresses in the first episode’s introductory action scene. His Master Chief is stoic yet visibly conflicted as he suddenly sees the lack of morality in his blind following of orders. The conflict of the series surrounds the ruthless nature of war propaganda and wartime optics as the UNSC, the new military branch of Earth’s government, meticulously tries to control their narrative while waging war. It’s closely reminiscent of the 1997 Paul Verhoeven cult classic Starship Troopers without the tongue-in-cheek tone and satire.

The series is surprisingly violent which should please the fans of the first-person shooter. As soon as the action begins you are slapped in the face by the bloody and explosive reality of this future war. No punches are pulled as bodies explode and limbs go flying and takes full advantage of not having to confine themselves limits cable television. Let this be a warning to parents out there who are on the fence about letting their kids watch the series; maybe you watch the first episode and judge for yourself. There is a clearly a large amount of respect given property which has been absent in quite a few video game adaptations. Every aspect of the game is respected and integrated into the main narrative, including some of the less realistic aspects of the game like the Energy-Shields and the first-person perspective. Overall, HALO is as faithful to the source material as it can be without using the established story canon, Master Chief feels like Master Chief and the Covenant feels like the Covenant. There are alien invaders to kill and Master Chief is more than willing, someone just needs to get him a weapon.

Be Sure to check back with FilmSpeak for the weekly review of HALO which premiers on Paramount+ on March 24th.