Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn
3/4
Starring: Tom Green, Anna Popplewell, Enisha Brewster, Ayelet Zurer, Max Carver
Not Rated (probably PG-13 for Intense Sci-Fi Violence)
If you haven't already guessed, based on the fact that I'm reviewing this, I'm a huge "Halo" nerd. I admit it without qualm or embarrassment. I've been a fan of the franchise from the moment me and my brother put in the original "Halo" in the Xbox after Christmas 2001. I've played every subsequent "Halo" game except "Halo: Wars." I'm making my way through the books, and my copy of the "Halo Encyclopedia" is very worn.
"Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" was originally produced as web series consisting of five 15-minutes episodes (which probably contributed to the narrative problems) in order to build hype for "Halo 4" and expand the interest of gamers who weren't fans of the franchise. All in all, it's not an essential part of the "Halo" mythos, but it's still fun to watch.
From a narrative standpoint, the connection to "Halo 4" is tenuous. Apart from short bookending sequences, this is a prequel to the whole saga (including the fall of Reach). Tom Lasky (Green) is a young cadet at the prestigious Corbulo Academy of Military Science. Like everyone else, he comes from a long line of highly esteemed military families (his mother is a respected colonel and his brother Cadmon (Carver) is an ODST Shocktrooper). Unlike everyone else, he has ethical and moral questions about the war against the insurrectionists. This hampers his ability to perform in action, although as the base commander Mehaffey (Zurer) tells him, he has talent. Further complicating matters are a series of mysterious rashes and bruises that are afflicting him. But circumstances are in motion that are causing him to rethink his situation.
The acting, mainly by unknowns, is quite good. Of the cast, only Ayelet Zurer (she had a key role in "Angels and Demons," and supporting parts in "Munich" and "Man of Steel") and Anna Popplewell ("The Chronicles of Narnia"). Tom Green (not to be confused with the MTV comic) is a new face, and he does a very good job. It doesn't take long to form a bond with him, and he has a very expressive face. Anna Popplewell is very good as well; she's a natural in front of the camera. Everyone else does good work, but worth singling out is Max Carver, who plays Tom's older brother. Shown only in recorded messages to Tom, Cadmon provides a lot of emotional heft to the story, and it's mainly due to Carver's excellent work. He's the perfect best friend/older brother.
The film's problems lie mainly in the first half, and a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that it was made into five parts and then spliced together to make a full-length film. The good news is that it doesn't feel like it was five short films strung together (certainly not in the way that "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" was). The bad news is that the narrative doesn't give the supporting characters much in the way of personality and the narrative doesn't hit any of the emotional buttons (including one plot development that, while obligatory, is effective but its ramifications are completely ignored); it's on the same level from beginning to end. The film also has two of my biggest pet peeves fully in evidence (multiple times, in fact): indistinguishable dialogue and a soundtrack/special effects that drown out the characters dialogue). Some elements of the plot are confusing because of this.
Whatever problems afflict the first half (and they're not enough to warrant skipping the film), the second half rectifies much of them. It's action-packed and guaranteed to leave you breathless. After viewing "District 9" (which I liked very much), I was convinced that Neil Blomkamp was not the right person for the job of directing the "Halo" movie (which is still stuck in development hell, although rumors tell that it's being turned into a TV series). The grainy faux-documentary quality of "District 9" did not fit the game's epic nature. Stewart Hendler's sharp and colorful approach is more appropriate (speaking of, I was surprised to learn that this was only made for $10 million...it looks like it was made for at least $50 million). He has a flair for atmosphere and choreographing action scenes. There isn't much shaking of the camera to be found here.
I don't know if this will turn people onto the "Halo" franchise (although considering it's one of the biggest, if not the biggest gaming franchise out there right now, how could anyone with an Xbox not be one?), but it is a lot of fun. Definitely recommended, especially if you're a fan of the franchise.
Starring: Tom Green, Anna Popplewell, Enisha Brewster, Ayelet Zurer, Max Carver
Not Rated (probably PG-13 for Intense Sci-Fi Violence)
If you haven't already guessed, based on the fact that I'm reviewing this, I'm a huge "Halo" nerd. I admit it without qualm or embarrassment. I've been a fan of the franchise from the moment me and my brother put in the original "Halo" in the Xbox after Christmas 2001. I've played every subsequent "Halo" game except "Halo: Wars." I'm making my way through the books, and my copy of the "Halo Encyclopedia" is very worn.
"Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn" was originally produced as web series consisting of five 15-minutes episodes (which probably contributed to the narrative problems) in order to build hype for "Halo 4" and expand the interest of gamers who weren't fans of the franchise. All in all, it's not an essential part of the "Halo" mythos, but it's still fun to watch.
From a narrative standpoint, the connection to "Halo 4" is tenuous. Apart from short bookending sequences, this is a prequel to the whole saga (including the fall of Reach). Tom Lasky (Green) is a young cadet at the prestigious Corbulo Academy of Military Science. Like everyone else, he comes from a long line of highly esteemed military families (his mother is a respected colonel and his brother Cadmon (Carver) is an ODST Shocktrooper). Unlike everyone else, he has ethical and moral questions about the war against the insurrectionists. This hampers his ability to perform in action, although as the base commander Mehaffey (Zurer) tells him, he has talent. Further complicating matters are a series of mysterious rashes and bruises that are afflicting him. But circumstances are in motion that are causing him to rethink his situation.
The acting, mainly by unknowns, is quite good. Of the cast, only Ayelet Zurer (she had a key role in "Angels and Demons," and supporting parts in "Munich" and "Man of Steel") and Anna Popplewell ("The Chronicles of Narnia"). Tom Green (not to be confused with the MTV comic) is a new face, and he does a very good job. It doesn't take long to form a bond with him, and he has a very expressive face. Anna Popplewell is very good as well; she's a natural in front of the camera. Everyone else does good work, but worth singling out is Max Carver, who plays Tom's older brother. Shown only in recorded messages to Tom, Cadmon provides a lot of emotional heft to the story, and it's mainly due to Carver's excellent work. He's the perfect best friend/older brother.
The film's problems lie mainly in the first half, and a lot of that probably has to do with the fact that it was made into five parts and then spliced together to make a full-length film. The good news is that it doesn't feel like it was five short films strung together (certainly not in the way that "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" was). The bad news is that the narrative doesn't give the supporting characters much in the way of personality and the narrative doesn't hit any of the emotional buttons (including one plot development that, while obligatory, is effective but its ramifications are completely ignored); it's on the same level from beginning to end. The film also has two of my biggest pet peeves fully in evidence (multiple times, in fact): indistinguishable dialogue and a soundtrack/special effects that drown out the characters dialogue). Some elements of the plot are confusing because of this.
Whatever problems afflict the first half (and they're not enough to warrant skipping the film), the second half rectifies much of them. It's action-packed and guaranteed to leave you breathless. After viewing "District 9" (which I liked very much), I was convinced that Neil Blomkamp was not the right person for the job of directing the "Halo" movie (which is still stuck in development hell, although rumors tell that it's being turned into a TV series). The grainy faux-documentary quality of "District 9" did not fit the game's epic nature. Stewart Hendler's sharp and colorful approach is more appropriate (speaking of, I was surprised to learn that this was only made for $10 million...it looks like it was made for at least $50 million). He has a flair for atmosphere and choreographing action scenes. There isn't much shaking of the camera to be found here.
I don't know if this will turn people onto the "Halo" franchise (although considering it's one of the biggest, if not the biggest gaming franchise out there right now, how could anyone with an Xbox not be one?), but it is a lot of fun. Definitely recommended, especially if you're a fan of the franchise.
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