High-Octane
Summary
Season 2 of HALO is more engaging than season 1, but still has the odd pacing issue; what we really want to see is the Master Chief in his armour blowing the heck out of aliens which we do get and yet I still want more. The performances all round are decent as are the visual effects with episode 4 the clear highlight as it’s entirely a huge battle sequence the likes of which we rarely see in a TV show.
Plot: Following the raid on Raas Kkhotskha, John and Cortana are surgically separated. Six months later, Silver Team is sent on a mission to evacuate residents of the planet Sanctuary from the Covenant, who resist until the Covenant begin glassing the planet.
Review: I haven’t played HALO for a few years, therefore I can’t remember how close the television series on Paramount+ is as an adaptation, so this is based on the show itself.
I reviewed season 1 when it aired a couple of years ago and I think prefer season 2. I still think it gets a little too talky at times, but there are some amazing action scenes. This season particularly kicks into gear in episode 4 with a massive battle the likes of which we rarely see on a TV show.
My main take away from HALO is that Pablo Schreiber needs to become the next action star; he’s got that tough guy persona and gravelly voice down pat and is perfectly badass as The Master Chief. I think he’d also make for an awesome Frank Castle.
In this season his loyalties are questioned, as is his sanity as he attempts to warn everyone about the Covenant. Schreiber makes John cold and ruthless and at times hard to sympathize with, but he feels believable as a soldier. He has a new boss in the shape of Joseph Morgan who plays Colonel James Ackerson; he is my favourite addition to this season as he isn’t quite what he seems, always keeping you guessing if he’s a bureaucrat or an actual hero. The relationships between the characters are complex which makes them mostly interesting and I especially enjoy BokeemWoodbine as former Spartan Soren as he tries to find his son.
Considering this is a television series the special effects are impressive, and the music score is also awesome. The biggest issue with the show is pacing where there are just too many scenes of people talking when all we want to see is Master Chief and the Spartans killing alien scum. We do still get several scenes with The Chief making an awesome entrance in the final episode, however it does end on a huge cliffhanger, so let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long for season 3.
Overall, season 2 of HALO has some massive action scenes especially in episode 4 which is one big battle sequence. Pablo Schreiber is perfect as John/Master Chief bringing the right amount of coldness and badassery we’d expect. Occasionally there is the odd pacing lag when things get a bit too talky, but I still really enjoy this series as I love the sci-fi action genre and the character relationships.
