Microsoft has finally shown off gameplay for now-delayed Halo Infinite in a short demo displayed during an Xbox Games Showcase this past month. In it, gamers gleaned a few tantalizing hints at the upcoming potential story threads, which seem to feature protagonist Master Chief fighting against enemy faction The Banished, all while traveling across a partially destroyed Halo ring several years after Halo 5: Guardians. This of course, has sparked all sorts of speculation about what happened during the time-skip, how this fits into the overall canon, and who or what might show up over the course of the experience. However, Halo is a big franchise, with lots of lore, and with 343 Industries being more and more willing to tap into the expanded universe, let’s take a moment to consider which Halo movies might be of interest to those looking to brush up on their lore before Halo Infinite hits shelves.
Released as a companion piece to Halo 5: Guardians, Halo: The Fall of Reach is an animated series comprised of three acts, making for about an hour long runtime. It is loosely adapted from the original novel The Fall of Reach, written by Eric Nylund, though the story takes some liberties with specific events and does not adapt the entire novel. The story follows the Master Chief and his longtime companions of Blue Team, consisting of Kelly, Fred, and Linda, as they look back on their induction into the Spartan II program, which made them the super-soldiers they are today. It ends shortly before the actual Fall of Reach, ironically, cutting the story off at about 60% of the way into the original novel.
This one is admittedly a hard sell, as it doesn’t contain a lot of new information for long time fans and the production values aren’t fantastic. It is mostly serviceable in telling its story, but sacrifices some of the source material’s best moments in favor of an increased focus on Blue Team themselves. Blue Team were a major part of Halo 5, however, so it’s quite possible they’ll return in some form for Halo Infinite. For those completely unfamiliar with Blue Team, or who don’t have the time or access to the original novel, Halo: The Fall of Reach may be worth checking out.
Another film released in anticipation of Halo 5, this time in live action. This story was meant to serve, along with Halo 2: Anniversary Edition, as an introduction to the character of Jameson Locke, who would be the deuteragonist of Halo 5. Locke was played by Mike Colter in the film and provides his likeness for the games, though scheduling conflicts prevented him from portraying the character in Halo 5. The story follows Locke and his team on an assignment from the Office of Naval Intelligence. This mission has him tracking terrorist activity, and eventually brings him to the wreckage of Installation 04, the Halo ring from the first game. They become trapped on the ring and have to find a way off the installation, all while facing an intimidating new form of alien life.
Despite the Halo branding, this film mostly ends up as a kind of generic sci-fi story, and didn’t receive favorable reviews from critics. Jameson Locke is a decent character in theory, but the story doesn’t explore any of the traits that make him interesting, like his willingness to get his hands dirty or his work with ONI. Microsoft claimed the film would have connections to the upcoming Halo TV series, but there has been little word on this since its release. Fans of Locke or Mike Colter may wish to check it out, but otherwise it’s safe to skip.
While not exactly a film in its own right, Halo fans will also likely be aware of Halo: Landfall, a Neil Blomkamp produced live action short. Halo: Landfall is a very interesting peek at the Halo film Blomkamp never got to finish, and serves as a prologue of sorts to Halo 3, but doesn’t have many implications for the story of Halo Infinite. Despite that it’s very accurate to the original games and impressive to see the work that has gone into making the alien Brutes work so well in live-action. Worth seeing for fans of classic Halo, and the short run-time makes it low investment.
A more unique entry; Halo: Legends is a collection of animated Halo short stories made by different studios. Halo: Legends contains several original plot-lines, most of which exist to provide flavor and enrich the universe. Origins is more of a lore recap than anything else, which makes it disappointing that it takes up two of the collections seven episodes, but it could be useful for those looking to get up to speed on the backstory. In contrast, The Package and The Duel are probably the highlights, featuring some of the more interesting animation styles and lore implications, while Odd One Out is a non-canon Dragon Ball Z parody featuring Spartan-1337 (very subtle joke) that’s probably worth watching just for fun. While it may be a bit of a drag for those not already invested in the universe, audiences are likely to find at least one or two of the stories to their liking.
Released as a web series in anticipation of Halo 4 and later distributed more widely, Halo: Forward Unto Dawn was marketed as a closer look at the life of Captain Lasky, an important figure in the story of Halo 4. It follows Lasky and explores his younger days as a cadet in military academy early on in the Human-Covenant war. Eventually the school is besieged by the Covenant, with Lasky and friends having to use their wits to survive the full force of the alien hegemony. Towards the end, Lasky witnesses the Master Chief in action, being rescued by the legend himself, and inspiring a deep admiration of Spartans that he carries with him through the rest of his career.
This film is perhaps the best of all the Halo adaptations. It is not only a decent sci-fi story in its own right, but it also contains an interesting twist in perspective, making the audience consider how the average human sees the Covenant and Master Chief. Contrary to the games, where players slaughter Covenant by the hundreds, in Forward Unto Dawn, a single Elite is a terrifying, almost unstoppable force, and one can begin to see why the Master Chief is viewed as an almost mythological figure among ordinary people. Lasky has been an important figure in the games for a while as Captain of the UNSC Infinity, and Forward Unto Dawn is a very solid B-movie with some cool set-pieces and genuine heartfelt moments. Audiences will definitely want to give this one a chance.
So now fans can go out and watch all the Halo adaptations they desire in anticipation of Halo Infinite, feeling confident that they’ll be prepared for whatever the story has to throw at them when it launches with the Xbox Series X this holiday season.
All the aforementioned films are available to watch on YouTube, DVD/Blu-Ray, or VOD services.
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