Halo - US Pace - Paramount+ (Spoilers)

fritzelly · 28-04-2022 11:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118990029#Comment_118990029

It's getting better with each episode - every time I see the aliens I just groan with the bad CGI

CastorTroy · 29-04-2022 11:58am

I'm sure they gave her a full examination when she landed but they missed the blade in her finger?

Slower episode this week. Liked it.

Slydice · 30-04-2022 4:48pm

6: Oooooooooooo shiny! Worth all the budget savings elsewhere?! Yes, I think so! 😁

I think this was one of the better episodes so far. Mostly living in their high budget side.

So then.. without knowing the game story and such.. I'm assuming

this is the ringworld I've seen in ads for the game. Looks cool. I wonder where it's going.. I'm half guessing it's either a fight for control of the ringworld.. or a fight for control of the technology to build ringworlds

You know.. damn but

Halsey and her story and actions and attitudes .. she's sooo dark!

Special mention for the outfitters on this show/game/story for their work on the military outfits!

They must've been like.. We're gonna need armour.. lots of armour! 😁

Soldiers get armour

Military police get.. like.. upper arm/shouldery armour

then the Spartans.. they were like.. we're gonna need armour.. and then we're gonna need armour for the armour .. I don't think those Spartans are gonna have any worries about getting cold with all the layers they have going on! 🙂

One really cool nod I have to give them was having Master Chiefs resting heart rate at 29! Like.. ok dude.. point made! 😲🙂

This is still definitely a high quality Saturday Morning TV show feel to it.. but too expensive to limit it to Saturday morning and too graphic in places to be Saturday morning.

sioda · 05-05-2022 6:28pm

In just not invested in the madrigal storyline at all and to give it a full ep seems a bit ott tbh.

Felt it could have been wrapped up in a half an ep and got back to the main story

CastorTroy · 06-05-2022 8:34pm

Vinsher will always be Owen from Torchwood to me.

Thought Kwan or Soren would've made some comment about using Master Chief's gun

Slydice · 07-05-2022 6:38pm

7: Well now that was a quality improvement over on the side that had felt like they'd been keeping the budget tight on.

Pretty decent action and some shocking stuff too!

So it feels like Kwans family is going to be tied to this ringworld development.. and what about that portal, maybe a jumpgate to the ringworld?

Soren also pulled his weight here in the fight. His story on the mining colony just felt a bit like necessary paperwork to show he had been solidifying his position.

Vinsher really went overkill on who he thought was just Kwan. He brought the guts of a Company or Battalion number of troops to get her!

So either he's dead now or maybe he'll be back but very scarred.

I'm not sure if it's key to the story but I think that was Kwans first kill with the grenade. She's a killer now. Maybe I'm forgetting her killing before.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119025338#Comment_119025338

Agree about Vinsher but Burn Gorman feels like he's able to do this level of baddie pretty decently.

Definitely liked that the show trusted the audience about the Master Chief reference with the number on the gun though.

Overheal · 09-05-2022 5:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119020469#Comment_119020469

It likely won't feel that way on a season marathon. Weekly it feels like a let down of course. Easy to shake of 1 or 2 weak episodes of a show when it's not the only thing you'll see for 2 weeks from the IP. I figured it would be a Kwan episode from being missing last week, I skimmed ahead in the player, spotted it was the Prologue they wanted to tell but couldn't because the Pilot has to suck the viewer in... and so decided instead to park this episode and watch it either together with this weeks episodes or leave it and the last 2 for next week.

B.A._Baracus · 12-05-2022 11:08pm

Really enjoyed episode 8. Everything building up now.

From what imdb says there's only 9 episodes. So next week is the last.

fritzelly · 13-05-2022 1:59am

Well that was some episode - was she starting to come over to the human side and then the humans screwed it all up...?

sioda · 13-05-2022 9:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119055038#Comment_119055038

I'm currently rewatching Westworld and literally the script is so similar in the fact that humans will always let you down.

Liked the episode and how cortana has chosen her side. MC was always lucky that's his thing as we all know. Fight scene was good but no building quality control very poor concrete 🤣. Does a concrete pillar have to get shaved in every scene of any show with overpowered characters.

Can't wait for the last one but thought is was a 10 ep run. Gonna take a lot to tie it together

B.A._Baracus · 13-05-2022 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119055038#Comment_119055038

Does seem like she was beginning to change alright. Nice plot element as earlier in the season she was just seen as some converted bad guy, who went undercover to get the artifact. Nice touch.

Surprised they haven't gotten to the ring yet. But then again, if you are making a show they can go multiple seasons no point throwing everything into season 1.

CastorTroy · 13-05-2022 12:38pm

I guess removing her fingernail and hidden blade was a sign she was coming over to the humans' side. But of course it's shoot/electrocute first and ask questions later.

Slydice · 14-05-2022 5:57pm

Well.. if that episode isn't gonna be a crossfit fans goto.. I don't know what episode of a tv show could be 😁

8: That was pretty good! I feel like they front loaded their budget savings to the earlier episodes and might have something big coming up for the season finale next episode.

Honestly was worried that was a cliffhanger episode and would have to wait for a season 2. Good news after checking wiki though..

there's both a ninth episode and a season 2 confirmed! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(TV_series)

Everything was so borderline going well or going bad and the reasons people are doing things are so cloudy.. I mean like Halsey definitely seems the baddie.. but it could be the generals.. but it could be the covenant..

It's wierd.. defintely Makee and John didn't seem baddie in a mean-to-be-baddie way. What they do seems to be because of what happened to them and they wanted to do good and save people

Saying that .. I dunno.. maybe Makee is gone now and gonna become a proper baddie.. or not .. who knows

Also lol at the love making scene.. we now switch to Cortana.. 😁

Slydice · 14-05-2022 5:59pm

Oh! and I looked up the latin from the bathroom: Per mare, Per terras, Per constellatum

probably the gamers already know but...

By Sea, By Land, By the Stars

fritzelly · 19-05-2022 8:58pm

Good finale after the flaky start to the series

_CreeD_ · 20-05-2022 3:16am

Well...that was pretty bad, not WoT bad but yet another franchise butchered by a team that 'respects and will honour the material' that proceed to pull it apart and paste it over their own by the numbers junk. I've played all the games and read most of the books up until a few years back but also fully respect that those will not necessarily transfer directly or easily to film but they went so far off what made Halo great by the end it's a farce to have the name imho. Even taking it's history out of the equation at best this was a poorly paced mediocre sci-fi series - with the Kwan story line being the worst offender for terrible writing and irrelevance. The background of Spartans being initially developed to crack down on what the UEG saw as terrorists provided a lot of opportunities for some great story telling that was not really touched on in the games and could translate well to the screen..IF it had been written well. As it was she was just a sideline PITA that did nothing to show that side of human culture at all beyond having a wild west style bad guy loosely aligned with the UEG pop up every now and again running every possible villain cliche known to hollywood-dom.

Technically they never quite got the movement and action right, the CGI was so uneven with some scenes being beautifully done but anything involving combat just being poor game cut scene level in terms of fidelity and choreography.

The whole forerunner space magic mcguffin was utter drivel. [writing room] 'We know what we need to happen then this week but haven't the slightest clue how to do it cohesively'...'I dunno, oh OH! have one of them touch the space magicaliser'...'Space magicaliser and CGI = plot win' [/writing room]

Charlie Murphy was as usual great but playing a character that by canon standards for the books and games simply couldn't exist.

Shcreiber was not bad in as much as having to constantly take his helmet off to prove it's him allowed him. And I actually like Kai's character arc more I think.

Miranda Keyes was a child. Looked like one, was written like one, acted the part as one. Completely the opposite of her great character in game but also utterly unbelievable for the position she had in the military and story.

Captain Keyes? An iconic stalwart in the first game, that yes was involved in the darker side of the story aswell in the books covering the prequel years. But here he's just a muddling middle man for everyone else.

Halsey was well played and reasonably written to be fair. Probably the only successful screen interpretation of the show imho.

I'm not just some disgruntled fanboi, I'm a realist on translations and was looking forward to them taking a slightly different track after 20 years of the existing line but this was just too poorly done. Some moments of greatness here and there but drowning in a sea of 'meh'.

CastorTroy · 20-05-2022 1:00pm

No that I'm a big fan of her storyline, but I'm surprised they didn't at least spend a scene or 2 with Kwan for the finale. Probably a sign of how much happened in it.

So when did Halsey swap?

Good finale overall, I thought, and looking forward to season 2.

The CGI was a bit off and while I know what they were trying for, the FPS parts didn't really work. Not sure if it was jarring or just didn't look good.

Could Cortana not have remotely controlled the ship before? And can she not talk in Chief's body?

EoinMcLovin · 20-05-2022 8:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119089368#Comment_119089368

My thoughts on the clone switcheroo

They brought the clone on the ship with them and I'm guessing she swapped either in the escape pod or before the ship took off. The escape pod could have also landed in a location she had planned for where she could hide and have the clone lead the marines away.
Halsey was never on the ship in the first place, it was the clone all along (this depends on how clones work, do they get copy of originals memories?)

Knowing Halsey and what she was planning , I don't think she would risk herself fleeing the base with the key so I'm leading more with my second point .

Slydice · 21-05-2022 8:24pm

So, that was season one. Yep, very enjoyable actioney/spacey/science fictioney show with nods to first person shooter style games. I can't vouch for Halo game style in specific. Story was a solid mystery that kept my attention. Again can't vouch for how it stuck to Halo the game or not.

I think in terms of budget, they look like they front-loaded some early episodes with cost-savings so they could lay on heavier special effects and actioney scenes towards the end.

Could've easily been a Saturday Morning TV Show (TM) and a high end one too if they'd cut out the extra laid-on gore/pain/blood/violence parts.

10: There was a lot in that episode, story, action, goodies, baddies but I think the coolest moment for me was

Kai, in suit, pulling off the super hero landing when she breached Halseys ship. Obviously not the biggest event in the show but the work on that scene was well done.

Towards the end I was like DAAAAMMMNNNN!!

Riz got messed up! First with the Grenade, that was bad enough! but then! THEN! with Cortana-Master-Chief blow torching her inards!! .. I assume to cauterise the wounds.. but still!!

I can't believe they

killed off Makee. She felt like she'd be a more permanent fixture. I'm half expecting the covenant might.. I dunno have a half-undead? or maybe cyborg or something? version of Makee if we see her again.

Speaking of the covenant.. I think some true colours coming out there in this show.. where before there could be some doubt about them wanting to wipe out humanity or just treat humanity as a road-block on the way to the ringworld.. they literally came out and said the wipe-out option.

I liked the surprise

Halsey wasn't dead. They built that story line well and I don't know for the life of me how it didn't come to me as a possibility until it was reveals.

Future: Well, I'm definitley up for seeing a season two. Guessing it depends on what kind of audience stuck with the show. They'd need the same if not more budget though.

B.A._Baracus · 26-05-2022 11:52pm

Didn't see that coming about Makee. Thought they would have done the whole love interest on opposite sides deal more.

Although! The covenant did say they still needed someone - so who knows. Maybe she'll be back and patched up some how.

Homelander · 28-05-2022 10:23pm

So finished the series. As I've said before, I'm a huge fan of the games and honestly, at the end of it all, I still do not understand why they couldn't do a TV show based on either the original Halo game or the Fall of Reach, both incredible stories with huge scope for drama, action, and dazzling scenery.

Halo: Deliver Hope TV ad and Neil Blomkampf's Halo 3: Landfall short-movie are both way, way closer to what a Halo TV show should be.

But anyway, we got what we got so I take it at face value and I expected as much, so I'm not going to judge it based on the games. It's decent enough in being visually super authentic which is nice though the plot is pretty far removed with a ton of fan service.

Show itself - entertaining and compelling, tone all over the place though, constant see-saw between dark and gritty and utter ham-fest. Same with the presentation and overall quality - swings from looking super expensive to looking like a late night SyFy channel movie.

You can absolutely tell the difference in directors, certain episodes are flat as a pancake and very unimaginatively shot, others are far more dynamic and interesting.

The Madrigal plot line was bad, but it culminated in Ep7, an absolutely terrible episode with zero redeeming factors save for the base fact that finally, that plot line was done with.

The main plot I enjoyed. Pablo as a barely recognisable Master Chief - I enjoyed. At the end of the day it could have been better but it's far from bad. As game adaptations go it's one of the better ones for all its missteps, as a sci-fi show for those not familiar with the games it's somewhat interesting and ultimately an easy watch.

I'd say it's a 6.5/10. It's not the Halo show I wanted but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy watching it and want to see more.

Slydice · 29-05-2022 12:48am

Seeing this thread again and my thoughts went to Kai so props to *googles* .. Kate Kennedy for making an impression

lemme see.. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7092415/

wow, she's got a bunch of video game experience and she's also a writer.

maybe she's a gamer

fair enough.. will keep an eye out

CastorTroy · 29-05-2022 12:02pm

Just have her team with Gwendoline Christie. No reason other than to just see it. Maybe if they ever make that Expendabelles film.

Slydice · 29-05-2022 4:55pm

I think I'd rather something more of their own than an expendables thing but yeah that team up might work. Probably depends on how different they could come across.

JP Liz V1 · 22-06-2022 5:04pm

Looks to be on Channel 5 tonight

cdgalwegian · 30-09-2022 10:23am

Not a gamer, so unburdened by comparisons to source materials. Aside from the obvious CGI issues and various inconsistencies, the show became quite compelling, though the last episode was a little underwhelming.

Overall, pretty entertaining - it just felt like they were cramming far too much into the first season in an effort to ensure a second series. A lot of potential lost in building fewer but more solid and invested story-lines and character development in favour of box-ticking, so I'm surprised such an unwieldy vehicle ended up being such an entertaining watch.