‘Halo’ Review: Paramount+’s Sci-Fi Series Shows Early Promise In Beating The Video Game Curse [SXSW]

Films based on video games are a notoriously dicey prospect, and that’s being polite. From “Hitman” to “Uncharted” to “Assassin’s Creed,” the overwhelming majority of them have failed to replicate on a screen what worked when fans had controllers in their hands. Perhaps it’s a sign of an understanding that video game movies are a critical minefield that one of the biggest franchises of all time is going to the small screen instead. After years in various stages of development hell, the world of Microsoft’s smash hit “Halo” will finally come to life on Paramount+ on March 24.

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A big-budget blockbuster in weekly series form that reportedly cost over $200 million, “Halo” often feels like an echo of other successful sci-fi properties of the last decade. The core of its story about a mindless drone who breaks from his programming recalls the rogue stormtrooper that centers “Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens” and the tone of heated boardroom conversations sometimes feels like it mimics the interspace politics of the beloved “The Expanse.” One wishes “Halo” charted its own path, but only two episodes have been sent to critics, and it’s easy to see that happening as the show’s writers become confident enough to move out of the mythology of the story and genre and create something that stands on its own. The pieces are there. Time will tell if it takes flight or does the main thing that most video game adaptations do—only make fans want to play the game instead of watching the show or movie.

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Telling its own story completely divorced from video game canon, “Halo” opens with its clunkiest scene at an outpost on a planet called Madrigal, deep in space in the year 2552. The show introduces a group of freedom fighters against the forces of Earth who are beset upon in the prologue by the Alien Covenant, creatures of massive size and strength who carry the kind of firepower that turns people into dust. The Covenant lays waste to the freedom fighters until a group of Spartans led by Master Chief John 117 (Pablo Schreiber) joins the fight. After the carnage, only a Madrigal girl named Kwan Ha Boo (Yerin Ha) has survived, while Master Chief has found an artifact on the planet that looks it could change everything.

MC takes Kwan Ha Boo and the artifact back to his home planet of Reach, and the show really expands in every direction. The opening conflict is kind of cheaply made and poorly staged, likely sending viewers into concerns that they’re going to watch an expensive show of badly written cut scenes. Don’t worry; it gets better quickly. After first feeling like a cheap B-movie, “Halo” reveals its depth after the opening credits drop, a full 18 minutes into the premiere. At that point, Master Chief John 117 is back on the planet Reach, having flashes of imagery he doesn’t understand and questioning orders regarding his new ally in a way that will make him a fugitive from his own creators.

New and familiar faces fill out an ensemble that expands once Master Chief and Kwan join forces. Natascha McElhone plays Dr. Catherine Halsey, a scientist behind the Spartan project who is fascinated by this super-soldier who appears to have broken free from his very restrictive programming. Burn Gorman strikes a terrifying figure in a brief scene in the pilot and a stronger one in the follow-up episode. Without spoiling his role, he seems likely to be a prominent antagonist, and his presence is always an interesting one. Another welcome sight comes in chapter two in the form of Bokeem Woodbine, who plays an old ally of John 117 who has charted a very different path through the universe. He has wonderful chemistry with Schreiber that conveys a conflicted back story. And then there’s Jen Taylor, who plays Cortana, a narrative shifting A.I. that fans of the franchise will recognize. (Taylor also played the role in the games, which alone should give the series some credibility with the hardcore gamers.)

And then there’s Schreiber, who elevates what could have been a phoned-in role into something more complex. Master Chief is a relatively plain hero, someone who was modeled after Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name, character but in outer space. He’s not supposed to have too much of a personality in the games, which can be a tough thing to translate to other mediums. But the underrated Schreiber has always conveyed vulnerability under his stoic, strong exterior. He takes what could have been a bland character and makes him interesting enough that viewers will stay engaged to see what he does next. Yerin Ha isn’t quite as lucky in the first couple of episodes, but that’s largely because she’s thrown into a role that’s primarily responding to the chaos around her. It’s too early to tell how she’ll fair when she can build instead of just reacting.

And that’s kind of true of the series overall. How much will this show fall back on imagery and easter eggs from the video games? How much will it chart its own path through the TV sci-fi stars or feel like mere reflections of better shows? Paramount+ has a lot riding on the success of “Halo,” already renewing it for a second season. It’s incredibly difficult to tell how much of that gamble has paid off with just two episodes. Still, it’s certainly not the kind of disaster that typically emerges when video games launch into other mediums. Only time will tell if fans want to keep watching or just wish they were still playing. [B]

“Halo” is currently premiering at the SXSW Film Festival and Paramount+ also released a new trailer today.