Halo (1×01) Contact Early Review

Live action adaptations of video game properties have a history of being hit or miss. The biggest and one of the most popular franchises of the 2000s is arguably the franchise known as Halo. A world so large and ambitious, adapting it into live action would understandably be quite the undertaking, so much so that many have failed to get any type of project off the ground over the years. Suffice it to say that whoever would be ultimately successful would need time and plenty of resources behind them. This appears to be the case so far after watching the premiere of the Paramount Plus live action series based on the Halo video game franchise, of course entitled Halo. Now everybody knows about the series’ titular character Master Chief but what about everything else? Though there have since been countless books to establish the lore surrounding the video game universe, this series looks to bring that fully-realized world to life. While it wasn’t without its issues, it is off to a great start in taking the character in an interesting direction and supporting him with an undercurrent of political intrigue.

The series takes place right in the middle of the ongoing war between humans and a faction of multiple alien species called the Covenant. Fighting the war on behalf of humans was another faction known as the United Nations Space Council or UNSC who looked to unite all humans. However, not all humans had admiration for the UNSC and their methods in fighting the war, including a team of genetically-engineered soldiers known for their compliance and effectiveness on the field called Spartans, created by Dr. Catherine Halsey (Natascha McElhone). This first episode set the tone nicely as the Spartans, led by Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) found themselves on a planet called Madrigal where a group of Covenant were attacking an insurrectionist outpost. The opening will have fans of the video game series right at home as it replicates the feel of the game with Master Chief’s HUD and all the Spartan weapons taking on the Covenant in brutal fashion. 

Upon further investigation of the Covenant activity, Master Chief and his team encountered a mysterious object of great interest to the Covenant that appeared to have an effect on Master Chief which did not go unnoticed by Halsey. Meanwhile, out of all the inhabitants of the outpost, there was one survivor, a rebel girl named Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha). A thing of legend and some controversy, the relationship between he and the young girl helped illuminate the contrast between Spartans and humans as the latter helped to humanize him as their past also came to light. Tasked to take her and the object back to his home planet Reach, there was an adjustment period for them, bringing forth some compelling moments. But little did they know, they were merely a small part of a game that was much bigger than themselves. That being said, that game took Master Chief to lengths that he wasn’t necessarily willing to go, which was unlike who he was programmed to be. 

These actions did not exactly sit well with UNSC command who attempted alternate measures to ensure that Master Chief’s past order was achieved one way or another. With the UNSC preparing for the worst case scenario, Halsey did the same to protect her project. As the situation was about to be decided one way or another, tension was at an all-time high as he and the girl needed to trust each other in order to survive. It would take a miracle for them to survive so that’s exactly what happened so now the story really begins.

On a technical level, the episode was rough around the edges in combining the CGI aspects of the Spartans and the Covenant with the live action elements especially during the daytime Madrigal battle sequence where the lighting, cinematography, and production design didn’t quite work. Besides those issues, the action sequence was still exciting to watch with all those video game quirks and tidbits. As the episode moved on from Madrigal, the look improved, going to the ship and the world of Reach where most of the special effect budget appeared to have gone. Schreiber was magnificent, bringing gravitas and an imposing presence as Master Chief while his chemistry with a scene-stealing Ha made for some fun moments. McElhone was also off to a good start as Halsey.

The series boasts a lot of characters with a considerable amount of them introduced here with more to come. It will be interesting to see how it put everything together. As mentioned, the game goes much further than Master Chief alone but it will have to do some more work on that side of the equation as he is certainly the best part so far.

still courtesy of Paramount

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.