We already showed you a shaky-cam version of the second Neill Blomkamp-directed Halo short (official titled "Combat Part 1"). But we thought you might enjoy seeing the "official" version, with all of its proper audio and colors corrected. As we thought it might, having a solid version of the clip makes it considerably more palatable, a definite improvement over "Arms Race."
Maybe this is just us, but we'd still like to see something a little more grand for Halo, something a little less Saving Private Ryan. But we can see how some fans of the series are getting excited, if only to see life brought to some of the icons from the series.
The concept is good, but it felt a little 'thin' considering the Arms Race clip featured factories of sniper rifles, Warthogs, and Pelicans being made.
If it featured a real battlefield instead of the cheesy setup used with additional soldiers (this is supposed to show a war after all), it would've made more of an impact than "meh".
It's a promotional short film series being financed by Microsoft to garner hype and excitement for this very lucrative franchise of games, novels, toys, and a possible future film.
Basically, think of it as a commercial for a multi-media franchise.
For those that don't know what this is... It is a series of shorts used for marketing purposes directed by the guy they signed up to do the movie. Personally considering the tiny budget they were given I think this looks sweet. Granted Masterchief isn't in there so it doesn't look like Halo, but the halo universe is huge and took place all across the galaxy. And I really think this captures the essence of the war.
also, i think this makes perfect sense. the war against the covenant is so much bigger than the spartans. so while it sux not to see the chief it still makes sense.
Wow a low budget production looks low budget.... Honestly it doesn't look horribly low budget and it is meant to be a viral marketing and the director is known for his documentary approach... Which is a nice touch and it makes it a little more immersive...
"Also, why did the dropship drop off a jeep when they could have GOT IN THE DROPSHIP."
That's like asking why the big boobed blondie always turns the wrong way and looks back when chased in a horror movie. This clip really sucked. It is killing my buzz.
For fuck sake, stop going on about how 'it doesn't look like Halo', it's showing the war from a different perspective and a different style. (you know, the live-action realism style)
It's low-budget compared to what people are used to in sci-fi action, especially when a lot of the money went into special effects and creating working scale replicas of things that never existed outside of a video game. It's intended to be a gritty, tense, and realistic interpretation of the war between humans and Covenant forces, not a summer blockbuster with one-liners, forced romantic subplots, and a cast of hundreds.
They're making these to prove there's enough interest to go ahead and make that movie down the line. This is a joint effort between Niel Blomkamp, Peter Jackson, Bungie, and Microsoft to prove that not only will people watch a Halo movie, but that it deserves enough of a budget to keep it out of the hands of a certain German director.
yeah a crapier presepective. Still feels like a crappy paintball match with some1 holding a camera. The atmosphere is so amature and crappy that the nice special effects that go in like the banshees and pelican look bad.
If this is whats in for a halo movie, I dont want to see it. Green smoke explosions. Bah.
I like it. Blomkamp has an impressive ability to ground the fantastic - see his South African Alien Apartheid short on youtube.
But I agree with the "It doesn't feel like Halo" party. Halo has a very cinematic feel, and this short certainly doesn't feel cinematic.
Go back and watch again, and you'll realize that the problem is the sky - and the lighting on the whole. The sky is too mundane. They could have kept the "embedded" cinematography, and the slightly clunky art design, if they just would have changed the mood of the lighting and the look of the sky.
This is Neil's style. Look him up. He's into realism in his stuff. I personally thought this and the other video were excellent. He doesn't use the same camera filters / etc that most movies do because it is supposed to add to the documentary style.
To be able to pull off those effects and make it look a little more believable is impressive to me. I feel like something like that *could* happen and if it did, that's what it would look like.
You know... if aliens from a video game invaded our planet and everything.
Just watched it again. And it's really good! The brutes looked believable and the documentary style is cool. It's hard to believe they did this with a small budget. Imagine this w/ 100 plus million funding it. In my opinion your insane if you thought that was crap, or you just are another Halo hater.
It's cool, I like the 'cinema verité'/doc style, but the truth is, it's a disappointment if you watch Neill Blomkamp's prior work...Even the adidas 'Yellow' thing he did is better than this.
I have faith that he can pull it off, but I need better voice-acting, more believability (seriously, why not just pick them up? They could have solved that fault in logic by making the 'pelican' pilot just say "It's too hot, ghost, enemy fighters inbound... we can drop you a warthog, but that's it! over!" or something...), christ, I'm making something up on a blog comment that makes more sense. And it looks like it was shot at 11am. Very little feel for what it's trying to portray - those guys look like actors trying to pretend they're surrounded.
It feels like MS is skimping with the budget (which seems so, soo, sooooo wrong) because this guy has done more with what must be less. He's awesome, but something is missing here.
As somebody who studied films at college, and as simply a Halo fan, these shorts make me want to vomit.
It seems like the whole short was made on $100. The costumes look terrible and seem to have no weight to them. The actual space in which the short takes place looks unrealistic even for an ingame level. It just looks like they rented out the bottom of a quarry and put up some set dividers.
I just have a problem with investing in the world created.
I dont think that he is a particulary stunning director. Everything I have seen has been on a small scale. With just 1 or 2 events to focus on. This may say more about the budget he has been given than the director, but maybe that says something about the director regarding the budget he has been given ;)
And the whole shakey cam thing works when there is alot going on around you, ie, Saving Private Ryan, Gears (roadie run), because it looks like you are fighting for your life through the chaos. But when nothing is going on, and its just a warthog driving through a fake concrete wall, and some dude running up to some other dude with 1 or 2 bullets hitting the wall, it just looks silly.
Glad the Halo film was canceled tbh. Michael Mann or James Cameron would be better.
I loved his earlier stuff... and to be honest, until he was attached I'd assumed the Halo movie was gonna suck.
The IDEA of a realistic, saving-private-ryan-style sci-fi war movie seemed sweet.
Unfortunately, in practice, it really doesn't work. Tht could be down to the minute budget.. but i think it is more down to Halo itself.
If this short proves anything, it proves that Spartans are gonna ruin any halo movie. You simply can't have a load of people in stupid armour, where you can't see their faces, expressions or even who is talking, as the stars of a movie.
Maybe it'd work better with a massive budget, and a more impressive, open setting. But I kinda think now that the style doesn't match the franchise. It mighta worked great with some other sci-fi/gaming franchises.. Alien, Farcry, etc.. but not with this one.
Seems like Dredd taking off his helmet WAS necessary after all. lol.
That short was "live action" in the loosest sense of the term.
Sorta made me wonder: Why am I not just playing Halo instead of watching it? I thought the goal of a proper film adaptation should be to expand upon an already established universe and bring something new to it, like more story. Are they merely trying to recreate the combat for the screen?
Guess what guys? It's always going to be more fun to play the action in Halo than it EVER will be to sit back and watch it. Time to shift focus.
These shorts do nothing but show what happens when you remove half of the CG from the Halo universe and take away the controls.
Guess what? It looks like shit. Better come up with a compelling reason for me "just" watch Halo when I could be playing it instead.
A lot of you have missed the point entirely. The guys in the film aren't Spartans, the camera is supposed to be the view from a helmet mounted camera (maybe even 1st party view) and if you look at the imaging in the games, this is actually exactly what it would look like on Earth in the 'real' world.
BTW, the film has not been cancelled - it's back in production.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
John @ Aug 27th 2007 4:35PM
From this short it look quite..... poor
JerJer @ Aug 27th 2007 4:36PM
i really like the banshee fly-bys but everything else was definitively NOT halo.
E.J. @ Aug 27th 2007 4:43PM
The concept is good, but it felt a little 'thin' considering the Arms Race clip featured factories of sniper rifles, Warthogs, and Pelicans being made.
If it featured a real battlefield instead of the cheesy setup used with additional soldiers (this is supposed to show a war after all), it would've made more of an impact than "meh".
mr nimblewick @ Aug 27th 2007 4:44PM
It made my brain hurt because Halo 3 does not look as realistic as this, yet this did not look as realistic as Halo 3.
Am I going to die?
BNinjaC @ Aug 27th 2007 4:47PM
That was horrible.
Ants @ Aug 27th 2007 4:49PM
wut exactly is this? is this a fan made clip? or a preview to the halo movie? or a vid from halo 3?
im confused.
IlyaG @ Aug 27th 2007 5:44PM
It's a promotional short film series being financed by Microsoft to garner hype and excitement for this very lucrative franchise of games, novels, toys, and a possible future film.
Basically, think of it as a commercial for a multi-media franchise.
Intentless @ Aug 27th 2007 4:53PM
For those that don't know what this is... It is a series of shorts used for marketing purposes directed by the guy they signed up to do the movie. Personally considering the tiny budget they were given I think this looks sweet. Granted Masterchief isn't in there so it doesn't look like Halo, but the halo universe is huge and took place all across the galaxy. And I really think this captures the essence of the war.
Triforceowner @ Aug 27th 2007 5:41PM
You didn't see John? I did... a lot.
Triforceowner @ Aug 27th 2007 5:42PM
Wait, maybe that isn't Master Chief...
Word of the street. @ Aug 27th 2007 8:55PM
Wait Peter Jackson isn't going to Direct Halo?,Well the suckage for Halo the movie is now confirmed.
Intentless @ Aug 28th 2007 10:07AM
peter jackson was set up to produce the movie last I heard.
visibleone @ Aug 27th 2007 5:05PM
odst hell jumpers sweet. looks amateur but still cool as hell. wish they were making the movie. /sadface.
visibleone @ Aug 27th 2007 5:07PM
also, i think this makes perfect sense. the war against the covenant is so much bigger than the spartans. so while it sux not to see the chief it still makes sense.
Neebs @ Aug 27th 2007 5:20PM
That was crap.
Also, why did the dropship drop off a jeep when they could have GOT IN THE DROPSHIP.
Frowelishnu @ Aug 27th 2007 7:18PM
They dropped off a "Warthog" from a "Pelican".
And they did it to show the lifesize, working model Warthog - which is freakin awesome.
How about you just change your name to Noobs.
Neebs @ Aug 27th 2007 8:15PM
How about no? I know what they're called - what the hell is my avatar again?
I'd make fun of your name, but I prefer to attack the point rather the person.
mike_p @ Aug 28th 2007 1:28AM
He's right though. Actual fans of the series and even the game will have seen plenty-a-warthogs being dropped from Pelicans.
It's not like they made it up, Neebs. =P
Neebs @ Aug 28th 2007 10:13AM
Well, yes, but I just find that kind of silly.
Cellien @ Aug 27th 2007 5:27PM
Cool, but looks low budget and WAY too documentary style for Halo.
Intentless @ Aug 27th 2007 5:54PM
Wow a low budget production looks low budget.... Honestly it doesn't look horribly low budget and it is meant to be a viral marketing and the director is known for his documentary approach... Which is a nice touch and it makes it a little more immersive...
Drew @ Aug 27th 2007 5:46PM
"Also, why did the dropship drop off a jeep when they could have GOT IN THE DROPSHIP."
That's like asking why the big boobed blondie always turns the wrong way and looks back when chased in a horror movie. This clip really sucked. It is killing my buzz.
adium @ Aug 27th 2007 6:08PM
gamevideos never works for me
Slvrgun @ Aug 27th 2007 7:14PM
It was ok.
Mike-453 @ Aug 27th 2007 7:45PM
For fuck sake, stop going on about how 'it doesn't look like Halo', it's showing the war from a different perspective and a different style. (you know, the live-action realism style)
listereo @ Aug 27th 2007 8:45PM
It's low-budget compared to what people are used to in sci-fi action, especially when a lot of the money went into special effects and creating working scale replicas of things that never existed outside of a video game. It's intended to be a gritty, tense, and realistic interpretation of the war between humans and Covenant forces, not a summer blockbuster with one-liners, forced romantic subplots, and a cast of hundreds.
They're making these to prove there's enough interest to go ahead and make that movie down the line. This is a joint effort between Niel Blomkamp, Peter Jackson, Bungie, and Microsoft to prove that not only will people watch a Halo movie, but that it deserves enough of a budget to keep it out of the hands of a certain German director.
mike @ Aug 27th 2007 8:46PM
yeah a crapier presepective. Still feels like a crappy paintball match with some1 holding a camera. The atmosphere is so amature and crappy that the nice special effects that go in like the banshees and pelican look bad.
If this is whats in for a halo movie, I dont want to see it. Green smoke explosions. Bah.
Word of the street. @ Aug 27th 2007 8:50PM
I'm the only one who thinks this looked better on the other trailer,the new colors make it feel cheap like a cheesy B-Movie.
Josh @ Aug 27th 2007 8:50PM
I like it. Blomkamp has an impressive ability to ground the fantastic - see his South African Alien Apartheid short on youtube.
But I agree with the "It doesn't feel like Halo" party. Halo has a very cinematic feel, and this short certainly doesn't feel cinematic.
Go back and watch again, and you'll realize that the problem is the sky - and the lighting on the whole. The sky is too mundane. They could have kept the "embedded" cinematography, and the slightly clunky art design, if they just would have changed the mood of the lighting and the look of the sky.
$0.02
Mattt Dargis @ Aug 27th 2007 8:51PM
It is low budget. It was pretty damn good for low budget.
Fierce360 @ Aug 27th 2007 8:55PM
i dont like the cameras. but the costumes, special effects, and warthog were kick ass.
dextro @ Aug 27th 2007 9:08PM
Well... It's not that great but I would still love to get me one of those real life warhogs :P
Anderson Imes @ Aug 27th 2007 9:09PM
This is Neil's style. Look him up. He's into realism in his stuff. I personally thought this and the other video were excellent. He doesn't use the same camera filters / etc that most movies do because it is supposed to add to the documentary style.
To be able to pull off those effects and make it look a little more believable is impressive to me. I feel like something like that *could* happen and if it did, that's what it would look like.
You know... if aliens from a video game invaded our planet and everything.
Mattt Dargis @ Aug 27th 2007 10:43PM
Just watched it again. And it's really good!
The brutes looked believable and the documentary style is cool.
It's hard to believe they did this with a small budget. Imagine this w/ 100 plus million funding it.
In my opinion your insane if you thought that was crap, or you just are another Halo hater.
J.L.Jones @ Aug 27th 2007 11:18PM
Nice to see that the Video Game Movie has no threat to it's championship reign of the shitelympics on Mt. Craptacular.
All is well. All is well.
Mattt Dargis @ Aug 28th 2007 12:10AM
Watch it here if you dont think it looks good.
http://halo3.msn.com/videosHD.aspx
fester @ Aug 28th 2007 1:33AM
Pure shite........A-A-A-nyway!.....back to BIOSHOCK!!!! arrrrr!!
ill trooper @ Aug 28th 2007 4:18AM
It's cool, I like the 'cinema verité'/doc style, but the truth is, it's a disappointment if you watch Neill Blomkamp's prior work...Even the adidas 'Yellow' thing he did is better than this.
I have faith that he can pull it off, but I need better voice-acting, more believability (seriously, why not just pick them up? They could have solved that fault in logic by making the 'pelican' pilot just say "It's too hot, ghost, enemy fighters inbound... we can drop you a warthog, but that's it! over!" or something...), christ, I'm making something up on a blog comment that makes more sense. And it looks like it was shot at 11am. Very little feel for what it's trying to portray - those guys look like actors trying to pretend they're surrounded.
It feels like MS is skimping with the budget (which seems so, soo, sooooo wrong) because this guy has done more with what must be less. He's awesome, but something is missing here.
Merx @ Aug 28th 2007 5:37AM
As somebody who studied films at college, and as simply a Halo fan, these shorts make me want to vomit.
It seems like the whole short was made on $100. The costumes look terrible and seem to have no weight to them. The actual space in which the short takes place looks unrealistic even for an ingame level. It just looks like they rented out the bottom of a quarry and put up some set dividers.
I just have a problem with investing in the world created.
I dont think that he is a particulary stunning director. Everything I have seen has been on a small scale. With just 1 or 2 events to focus on. This may say more about the budget he has been given than the director, but maybe that says something about the director regarding the budget he has been given ;)
And the whole shakey cam thing works when there is alot going on around you, ie, Saving Private Ryan, Gears (roadie run), because it looks like you are fighting for your life through the chaos. But when nothing is going on, and its just a warthog driving through a fake concrete wall, and some dude running up to some other dude with 1 or 2 bullets hitting the wall, it just looks silly.
Glad the Halo film was canceled tbh. Michael Mann or James Cameron would be better.
t_m @ Aug 28th 2007 6:04AM
I loved his earlier stuff... and to be honest, until he was attached I'd assumed the Halo movie was gonna suck.
The IDEA of a realistic, saving-private-ryan-style sci-fi war movie seemed sweet.
Unfortunately, in practice, it really doesn't work. Tht could be down to the minute budget.. but i think it is more down to Halo itself.
If this short proves anything, it proves that Spartans are gonna ruin any halo movie. You simply can't have a load of people in stupid armour, where you can't see their faces, expressions or even who is talking, as the stars of a movie.
Maybe it'd work better with a massive budget, and a more impressive, open setting. But I kinda think now that the style doesn't match the franchise. It mighta worked great with some other sci-fi/gaming franchises.. Alien, Farcry, etc.. but not with this one.
Seems like Dredd taking off his helmet WAS necessary after all. lol.
Mike-453 @ Aug 28th 2007 9:07AM
Needs less shaky cam, more flash.
Swanny @ Aug 28th 2007 11:03AM
i thought it ok. i would not have minded some http://hotcellfish.com/2007/08/09/hello/
Stranger @ Aug 28th 2007 4:45PM
That short was "live action" in the loosest sense of the term.
Sorta made me wonder: Why am I not just playing Halo instead of watching it? I thought the goal of a proper film adaptation should be to expand upon an already established universe and bring something new to it, like more story. Are they merely trying to recreate the combat for the screen?
Guess what guys? It's always going to be more fun to play the action in Halo than it EVER will be to sit back and watch it. Time to shift focus.
These shorts do nothing but show what happens when you remove half of the CG from the Halo universe and take away the controls.
Guess what? It looks like shit. Better come up with a compelling reason for me "just" watch Halo when I could be playing it instead.
matt @ Aug 31st 2007 10:48AM
FFS! Somebody get this guy a steadycam!
IlyaG @ Aug 27th 2007 5:48PM
It's supposed to look like documentary war footage, smart-ass. When was the last time you saw war journalists carry steady cams?
matt @ Aug 29th 2007 11:09AM
It was a joke that Matt Damon said when talking about reviews for the Bourne Ultimatum. Smart ass.
don_sf @ Sep 2nd 2007 6:55PM
the graphics look wikiid.
Dan LXIX @ Sep 6th 2007 5:02AM
A lot of you have missed the point entirely.
The guys in the film aren't Spartans, the camera is supposed to be the view from a helmet mounted camera (maybe even 1st party view) and if you look at the imaging in the games, this is actually exactly what it would look like on Earth in the 'real' world.
BTW, the film has not been cancelled - it's back in production.