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The highly-anticipated video game-turned-series, Halo, arrived on Paramount plus today and things seem a bit messy.
Developed by Kyle Killen and Steven Kane, the series follows a 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat, The Covenant. It will weave personal stories with action, adventure and rich visuals of the future.
Halo Episode 1: Review
The Good
The first episode of Halo did a pretty good job at setting the story, introducing the characters and giving a glimpse of the world. From the United Nations Space Command, the military force and the alien army, The Covenant. It has been made clear from the very start that the Covenant forces have very little regard for human life.
The show also introduced the Spartans' Silver Team and its Master Chief. This silver team is what they consider to be UNSC's unbeatable, super-human assault force who joined the war against the colonies. They are also the only people to cause damage to all alien forces that ravage the outpost, Madrigal.
Paramount plus made sure to tie the series with the video games but also let it have its moment as a stand-alone series. Gamers will already be aware that the Spartans have special weapons built to go up against The Covenant, however, they cannot really be seen in the series.
There's a fun nod to the video game when the POV changes to first person perspective in the middle of combat along with the familiar sounds they have put in during firefights. It is a wonderful delight for the lovers of the video game. It also did a great job at establishing the fear of insurgents within the UNSC and the Spartans.
The Bad
The show also somewhat lacked putting Team Silver in the spotlight for its bizarre fighting skills compared to the others, but made sure to show how easy it is for them to kill the unkillable. The series loses super points as things explained in the trailer were not talked about or established in the first episode.
Halo also lacked the explanation behind UNSC's evil leadership. It was absurd when Admiral Parangosky was willing to kill Master Chief because he refused to follow orders and kill an unarmed woman, considering the fact that the latter is literally her best weapon.
It has been made clear that the UNSC aren't the good guys, but it's not a good sign for this episode or the series to set the plot point so early. A better way to do so was to let the charade of goodness go on for a while before their true selves were exposed, perhaps after an episode or two.
It also does not show a lot of Master Chief or the rest of the Silver Team, but then again it's just the beginning, so one might never know what the rest of the series holds.
Halo is now available to stream on Paramount Plus with new episodes releasing every Thursday.
