Halo Review: A Promising Show that Stays True to the Game’s Legacy

The Halo TV series premiered about three weeks ago, and so far, it has been quite good. Despite the mixed reviews of the trailer and Episode 1, the way the show is progressing is pretty incredible.

The creators have stayed true to the source material except for a few changes. Regardless, the show is well-written and well-produced. Every episode makes me want to know more about this universe and the enigmatic protagonist Master Chief.

If you’re wondering whether or not to watch the show and are going through the reviews online, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive in.

1. Quick Review

The Halo TV series takes place in a different timeline than the games. It is called the Silver Timeline. The plot surrounds a war between the UNSC and the Covenant. At the center of it all is Master Chief, who stumbles upon a foreign artifact that could unlock a door, causing the end of humanity.

Whether you’ve previously played the games or not, you’ll like the show for its cinematic visuals and screenplay. The series keeps you interested and engaged as it unravels before you. However, it doesn’t match the quality of the games because the standards they’ve set are pretty high.

So, is the Paramount+ series worth watching?

2. Is Halo worth watching?

Halo is an entertaining sci-fi show that both gamers and non-gamers should watch. The story, visuals, and screenplay suck you into the universe it builds and keeps you at the edge of your seats.

Halo The Series (2022) | Official Trailer 2 | Paramount+

Although the overall series is a good watch, it does have a few shortcomings. To begin with, the performances seem to lack that punch. No particular character keeps you hooked on the show, and your most significant incentive to watch it is the story.

This could be because the writing constructs scenes quite well but doesn’t do the same justice to its characters and dialogues. But despite this, it manages to entertain you and hit just the right spots in your brain, like how a sci-fi genre content should.

3. Plot

In the Halo TV series, there’s quite a lot happening with different characters. The entire premise is about the Covenant army being at war with the UNSC. While the Covenants are a group of aliens, the UNSC is a body that governs all of humanity across galaxies.

However, there are also tensions between local rebel groups on different planets and the UNSC, where the former wants complete freedom from the latter’s rule. All this sets the context of the kind of world we enter as an audience.

Amidst all this is Master Chief, aka John. He is a super-soldier who works for the UNSC, and along with his group of super-soldiers called the Spartans, he fights against the aliens. One of these fights on a rebel planet leads him to an artifact.

When Master Chief touches it, he starts having visions, and the artifact releases a surge of energy. Naturally, this makes him question everything, and thus begins the story of Halo.

4. Cast and Characters

So far, in the last three episodes, we’ve met quite a few characters. The protagonist Master Chief is played by Pablo Schreiber, Dr. Halsey by Natascha McElhone, Makee by Charlie Murphy, and Kwan Ha by Yerin Ha, among others.

As mentioned in the earlier section, their performances seem slightly underwhelming. Their emotions and behavior do not align with the stakes and conflicts depicted in the show. The writers have surely given all characters enough meat, but something feels amiss.

5. Final Thoughts and Grade

Overall, Halo makes up for a dramatic watch as we course through the different character arcs and subplots while still wanting to have more answers about the central premise. The show is definitely a one-time watch.

6. About Halo

Halo is an American live-action sci-fi television series based on the Halo video game franchise. It is developed by Steven Kane and Kyle Killen for Paramount+.

The series follows a 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, a theocratic-military alliance of several advanced alien races determined to eradicate the human race.

The series stars Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone, Charlie Murphy, Jen Taylor, Shabana Azmi, Bokeem Woodbine, Kate Kennedy, Natasha Culzac, Yerin Ha, and Bentley Kalu.