Halo - TV Review - Arakat Mag

Games that grow and renew themselves with the development of technology are increasing their popularity year by year. At the beginning of the 2000s, certain games established their dominance, but nowadays, it is impossible to talk about a monopoly. For example, World of Warcraft, which dominated the market alone for a long time, can’t even see the top of the lists nowadays. Many different games released every year attract millions of people worldwide and lock them in front of the screen until the morning. One of these games is, of course, HALO. This futuristic game which conquered hearts not only with its technology but also with its storyline, is among the games that still exist and are played the most. We can also say that it has a world that has established its own legend and myth since it has existed for a long time. As a matter of fact, it aroused great curiosity when it was said that the game, which had such a vast world, would be turned into a series; created serious expectations. On the other hand, this expectation almost completely contradicted the game, that is, the phenomenon they call Lore, and devastated all its fans. However, those who have never played the game like me, innocents, fell in love with the show.

Let’s briefly touch on its subject… The members of the planet known as the Covenant Empire are after what they are looking for called “artifact” by attacking various planets. The biggest obstacle to their quest is the team that people call Spartan. The Spartans, a nearly invincible team, have once again defeated the Covenant on the planet they encounter, but this time they discover an object that will completely change the course of the universe. This object somehow interacts with the Master Chief, causing him to change. As the team leader, Master Chief changes; in fact, he realizes that the society they live in is not innocent at all. He learns facts about himself, the past, and the future. While his hunger for the truth increases, the desire and violence of the Covenant for the object they call “artifact” increases either. And this high path will eventually push them all into an unstoppable war.

As far as I understand, the story described in the series has nothing to do with the game. In fact, there are some moments when the story is completely opposite. For example, the sex scene. I’m generally an advocate for the preservation of Lore. For this reason, I do not hesitate to call myself a hypocrite in this article. I get angry if there is a game, a book, or a universe that I am involved in, and it is not reflected on the TV or the screen as it should. For example, I am one of those who opposed the Lord of the Rings series even before it came out. So I’m clear on this. As far as I can see, the HALO series is irrelevant to the game and has completely driven its players crazy. But, on the other hand, although I find them right as well, here is my hypocrisy; I have to say that I was amazed by what I watched. Forgive me.

The series has officially become a medicine for the TV industry, which has been suffering from quality action for a long time. Every episode has exquisite action scenes, starting from the first episode and extending to the last. Especially, I can say that the FPS scenes in the Transcendence episode were the most fantastic sequence I’ve seen on a TV screen in a long time. The places where we watch the character, first from the RPG view and then from the FPS view in the scene and where they change, are so wonderfully designed that gave me goosebumps. While many series grin from time to time in the action scenes, HALO does not question its action in almost any second. In this regard, the series exceeds the action expectations.

But what makes the series really successful is its established storyline. The series turns into a utopian-futuristic Game of Thrones with the facts that started with our meeting with Master Chief and started to discover over time. Secrets, gossip, backstabbing… Each episode creates a new tension, and it all converges on the question mark that awaits us in the finale. The series is thriving in intrigue, that the most essential thing that keeps a project alive is constantly renewed information whose source is open to questions. This was the most crucial thing Lost added to us: Ask the questions, but ensure to give the answers as well. HALO managed to keep the audience warm for 9 episodes by asking many questions and answering most of them.

Pablo Schreiber, who plays the Master Chief, did a fantastic job, in a word. The actor I met with American Gods finally found the primary role he deserved. He is not the only one who has increased the watchability of the series. Kai, played by Kate Kennedy, who wakes up like Master Chief and dyes her hair pink, steals quite a bit from his fame. I liken her to Brienne of Tarth, played by Gwendoline Christie in Game of Thrones. Again, Cortana, played by Jen Taylor, and the super-obsessed villain, played by Natascha McElhone, Dr. Halsey, also show themselves quite a bit in the show. The only criticism about the show is that everyone who watches it says: Kwan Ha’s place in the story. Although Yerin Ha’s acting, which I consider successful because it irritates us, is good, the place and purpose of her character in the series are not yet clear, and we can say that this uncertainty has stolen a lot of time.

To sum it up… Although HALO drove almost all of the players crazy because it was entirely out of the story, it brought a deluge of action and intrigue to someone like me who didn’t even know anything about the game. I couldn’t stand still for 9 episodes. From the effects to the action, from the acting to the story, the series is the best TV event of 2022, at least for me. So it was not surprising that the second season was approved while the series was still on the air. If they manage to keep the tempo and the consistency of intrigue in the same tone, or even surpass it, the series could turn into one of the most successful works the screens have ever seen.