HALO LEGENDS
March 14th 2010 23:32
Category: Videos
HALO Legends is set in the fictional universe of the HALO computer game that you can get on various platforms and seems to be immensely popular, but then again every game maker puts the same claims out about their particular product along with the provisos that its bigger, better and badder than all that have gone before. And in what seems to be a time honoured tradition the makers of HALO decided that the world could not do without some kind of movie based on their game. Now I confess I have never played HALO, purely because I’m not much of a console gamer, preferring PC games over console because I can’t be bothered to fork over the readies for another piece of equipment that is likely to spend a lot of time just gathering dust. Still that being said when I came across this particular DVD in the local outlet of a major music chain store my curiosity was piqued, enough for me to hand over the cash to purchase it.
Once I watched the entirety of the stories contained on the disc I have to admit that I was suitably impressed, so much so that I’m almost tempted to try and get my hands on a copy of the game itself. Perhaps there is a PC version of one of its several incarnations floating around out there on the dusty back shelf of a games shop? That point aside the animation and story have been done by some of the leading Japanese anime production teams; and when you have BONES, Casio Entertainment, Toei Animation and Production IG involved on a project like this then the anime is going to be a sure fire winner in terms of entertainment value. These are studios who have been involved in the production of some of the great anime classics from Fullmetal Alchemist to Dragonball to Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed, classic’s all in the arena of anime.
So for those of you who like me who have never had any contact with HALO let me give you a primer on just what the background is on this fictional universe. This is probably the best feature about this DVD it does not assume that you are mad HALO fan and have spent countless hours playing the game, instead the first two stories on the disc give us a succinct run down on the actual universe, the origins of the term HALO and why what is happening is happening. Like a lot of science fiction that has been produced in the last twenty or more years it all begins in the distant hoary past, when humanity was just learning to walk upright and work out that hey these opposable thumb thingies might be such a good thing after all, a boon to our emerging species.
At this point in the galaxies history there existed a species known as the Forerunners, these beings were not only technologically advanced but they had managed to forge a society that was at peace with itself and didn’t suffer any of the self destructive impulses that plagued other species. Unfortunately at the very pinnacle of their society and civilization the Forerunners encountered an entity that the christened the Flood. Now this particular entity thrived on consuming intelligent societies, the more advanced the better because as it consumed such societies it and its various offshoots absorbed that intelligence and thus became more advanced themselves as a result. What a blow it must have been to the Forerunners, to discover that the very thing which had made them what they were was also the one thing that attracted the Flood and thus their Achilles heel.
Only one thing could be done, wipe the slate clean and hopefully this would see the end of the Flood. And so the Forerunners embarked on a massive scheme whilst they still had time, throughout the entire galaxy all the sentient life was catalogued, sampled, stored and hidden from the reaches of the Flood. Then when this was done a superweapon known as HALO was deployed, activation of HALO would mean that all life in the galaxy would be destroyed but the Flood also would be eliminated. When that was done then the various species who had been sampled by the Forerunner would be reseeded back on their original worlds as part of the rejuvenation of the galaxy in the aftermath of HALOs first and only activation. Unfortunately the Forerunners themselves would not survive this cataclysmic cleansing, but they had reconciled themselves to their fate and carried on with the plan. Far better to die and let others begin anew than to allow the Flood to consume all. Of course as you can no doubt gather the plan worked to a certain extent, life did begin anew but things didn’t pan out the way the Forerunners had hoped.
I was really impressed with this production, it was well worth the money I spent on purchasing it as well as the time spent in watching it. The other good thing is that it is not entirely a humanocentric portrayal of the HALO universe, that there is a viewpoint from the other side involved in the conflict, also there is an element of how war can sometime lead to dehumanisation of humanity itself in the quest for victory over ones opponents and lengths a side will take in order to achieve their objectives. The story Homecoming gives the audience an insight into just how the super soldiers known as Spartans are created and the lengths that those in power will go to protect the program that created them from scrutiny. Fortunately though its not all cosmic doom and gloom, the story Odd One Out adds a suitable goofball levity to the whole affair which is most amusing.
So even if you are not a HALO game fan but you enjoy science fiction or space opera then take the time out to give HALO Legends a go. It’ll be worth your while.
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