Download Halo Legends (2010)

Halo Legends (2010)
Country: USA / Japan
Genre: Action / Animation / Sci-Fi
Direction: Shinji Aramaki
Cast: Atsushi Abe, Mark Adley, Kenji Akabane, Deke Anderson, Leraldo Anzaldua, Chris Ayres, Joshua Bolden, Susumu Chiba

A collection of seven stories from the Halo Universe created by Japan's most creative minds. First up is "Origins" a two part episode showing the expansive history of the Halo Universe and the history of the 100,000 year long franchise timeline, told through the eyes of Cortana. Second comes "The Duel" Taking place long before the Human-Covenant War, it tells the story of an Arbiter, Fal 'Chavamee, who refuses to accept the Covenant Religion. Taking a turn to the Spartan side of the story "Homecoming" focuses on the tragedies involving the Spartan-II recruitment in 2517, and the Spartans coming to terms with their origins. Taking a turn in tone comes "Odd One Out" a non-cannon parody of the Halo storyline. "Prototype" tells the story of a Marine who goes against his orders to destroy an advanced prototype armor and uses the suit to buy time for civilians evacuating from the planet. "The Babysitter" tales of the the rivalry between the Spartan-II Commandos and the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers as they're sent to Covenant-controlled world to assassinate a Covenant Prophet. And finally "The Package" a two-part all CGI film follows Master Chief and an elite squad of Spartan-II super soldiers as they execute a top-secret mission to retrieve a highly valuable UNSC asset on a Covenant Assault Carrier.


Download Halo Legends (2010)

Movie Review:

Halo Legends consists of eight independent segments of Halo heroes going on missions and coming out successful. They shoot bad guys, they punch bad guys, they shoot bad guys, they stab bad guys, and they shoot bad guys. Sometimes they die to try to trick people into thinking the stories are meaningful or dramatic. There are two consecutive introduction sequences that supposedly set the stage for the events of the rest of the stories. They are twenty minutes long combined, consist entirely of exposition, could easily have been whittled down to two or three minutes, and don't impact any understanding of the following segments. Within the first couple minutes, there is a promising line in reference to our race's propensity for war: "No matter how hard you fought to suppress it, it got out. It always got out." Yet everything deals with super-soldiers ("Spartans") in battle; none of the stories have anything to do with deciding to go to war or our inability to avoid war. There is no narrative to speak of.

Of the episodes contained in this anthology, there are two that are fun enough to watch a second time (but probably only a second time). One of these is computer-animated, features pristine (if somewhat stiff) art, and includes lots of lasers and explosions in space. If you can detach the picture from any attempt at storytelling, you'll do well with it. The second of the film's re-watchable portions incorporates a great geek joke by having a main character called "Soldier 1337" who continually refers to himself in third person, emphasizing his number. It is a decidedly Dragonball-esque episode (which makes sense because its director, Daisuke Nishio, is also the director of many Dragonball works), following 1337 after he falls off his ship and lands on a planet where he meets three children dressed like cavemen, is almost eaten by a dinosaur, and finally has to face off against a behemoth called "Momma." Most of this episode's humor lies in its animation -- the comical movements of 1337, for instance, as well as seeing a T-Rex slide down a hill on his butt. However, the source of this episode's high points -- its being reminiscent of Dragonball -- is also the source of its low points. There are too many overblown theatrics and high-flying acrobatics. At one point, two characters punch each other as hard as they can, and a nuke-style shockwave results. Even this film's best parts require a lenient concept of entertainment.

The action is clearly Halo Legends' reason for existing, but it does not deliver. There are two or three good action sequences in the film, mostly constituting the better parts of the computer-animated episode. As for the rest of the movie, even the portions that sound fun are boring. There is one scene in which a single soldier armed with a sword literally takes out an entire army. The scene involves little more than the swinging of that sword. There is an episode involving a mech-style suit, and its action consists of the main character flying around and shooting bad guys. I was a defender of the mindless action of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.