Kale Palmer

I don’t like putting three stars up there. I want to put five, but I’ll explain why only three. For context, I’m a massive fan of the games. They have a big nostalgic value to me as they were a big part of my early and mid teens. I know the lore, I know the depth, and it’s a good game series, even the 343 games (don’t shoot me, I know what I like). With context out of the way, let me share my thoughts of it as a TV series. I love it. Simply put, it’s gorgeous to watch. I enjoy the aesthetic, the story, the characters, and the action sequences are great for a sci-fi tv series! If you like action, and you like softer sci-fi, you’ll probably enjoy this series! However, and this is where it loses two stars, its not really halo. As previously stated, I love the games! So why don’t I think this is halo? For starters, it’s a different timeline. Ok, makes sense, they want to do their own thing without conflicting with already established timeline, I get it. Things like lore or character interactions are getting pushed aside in favour of this new timeline, which makes sense. But bloody heck man, some things are too different to even be called halo. I’m glad they showed the master chiefs face, he’s not a shell for a player, but I’m ticked off at how he treats Cortana, It’s nothing like the games. Little things, like physics of weapons or sound affects, are disregarded in favour of this new timeline. When you play a game for so long, you get used to it’s cycle. You get used to how it works, and it can become comforting. And then you have this show that doesn’t obey those rules, and it’s uncomfortable. This show makes me uncomfortable in the wrong ways. In order to get over that discomfort, I have to forget it’s halo, because it isn’t really the halo I know and love. In order to enjoy it, I have to turn off my love for the games, which shouldn’t have to be the case. It could have been so much more, but it feels like it disregards the wonderful universe it’s supposed to be set in so that it can have “creative liberty”. Also, what’s with all the nudity and language?? Blood, violence, yeah, it’s halo, but butts and s***? Seriously? First the battle rifle is fully auto and hunters become piles of worms, and then multiple instances of male and female nudity. Bruh.