Hey guys, its your favorite Wadey again doing his thing. If you can read the title of this article, you know what this is about. I wrote this review about two months or so months ago and figured "If I'm gonna write a review, might as well publish it." And so without further ado, I give you my Halo Legends Review.
"I finally found this DVD at a reasonable price a few weeks back, and now I found the time to write this review. Its funny how much an investment having an actual job is right? Anyway, on to business.
For those of you who do not know, Halo Legends is a series of anime short stories based in the Halo Universe. These shorts (eight of them to be exact) are each radically different in both style and story telling. Seeing as how these shorts are directed by some of the top talent that anime has to offer.
The first two stories are actual one story. You could probably tell by the titles: Origin Part I and Origin Part II. And this is actually a very interesting look back at the history of the Halo Universe. Starting woth the Forerunners and their doomed conflict with the Flood. And it jumps forward in time to our own bloody history and eventual confrontation with the highly devout Covenant who are worshipers of the Forerunners. This story, told in two parts, is not overly necessary but I find it cool nonetheless. Maybe that’s because I have only played up to Halo 2 because I cannot afford a 360 yet. The artwork is a very literal translation that while good is does not stand out.
The Duel is the next story on this list and I can only compare this piece to the film 300. Its on that scale. There is an epic battle scene, betrayal, and false prophets. The tale is about a Covenant Elite, who is an Arbiter who doesn’t trust the Prophets and their promises. He proclaims that the Great Journey is a lie and fights for his belief. Surprisingly, there is even a funny poke at the Grunts at the end of the epic battle sequence. The only thing that would throw off a few people is the style and décor that the animators used. The animation is like a moving water color effect that is growing on me but the thing that really got me peeved, is the fact that every Elite is dressed in feudal Japanese garb. I understand that this was supposed to help the viewers understand that they are reminiscent of samurai, but I think this overdid it just a tad.
The next story, Homecoming, is a much more intense narrative that follows the life of Spartan codename Daisy. Daisy is fighting on a planet overrun with Covenant forces (this happens a lot btw). While aiding her troops she has flash backs to when she was a teen and broke out of the Spartan training facilities. She could only think of one place to go, home. And there she runs into her clone. But its an imperfect clone confined to a wheelchair. Living the life that was originally meant for Daisy. I won’t spoil it for you but I can honestly say that this was one of the best shorts Legends has to offer.
And this next short, Odd One Out, is obviously the weakest story wise but then again, this one wasn’t made for its story. Odd One Out is a parody and is not considered canon by either Microsoft or Bungie. This story though, brings me back to the glory days of Dragonball Z. The exact level of humor is used, where the main character Spartan 1337 (get it?) is even chomped on by a T-Rex. No need for seriousness here, which quite frankly is a relief seeing as how some of these shorts are downright morbid! This Odd One Out is not the best reviewed ever, but I find it to be a breath of fresh air. Plus, I can totally see the voice of 1337 as Deadpool!!!!! How cool is that?
Prototype is another testament to the greatness of anime storytelling. This is Legends’ Titanic. Or maybe The Last Samurai would be more accurate. Ghost is a sergeant is the UNSC (that’s the United Nations Space Command) who has a very troubling battle record. On his last mission, his whole platoon went down and he didn’t even bat an eye. That’s why they call him Ghost. But when he has only two people left of his demo squad, he’s gonna make dang sure that they get off that planet alive. This heartfelt short shows us the horrors of war and the pain of regret. Even for those who are too afraid to show it.
Ever heard of the ODST’s? that stands for Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Nicknamed Helljumpers by the regular military because they usually drop from capsules that are less than three feet thick, into the most hostile of battlefields. Feet first into Hell indeed. And if it were not for the Spartans, the ODST’s would be the poster boys for the UNSC. But like it or not, the Spartans are better in every way. This rivalry is never even outlined in the games which is why The Babysitter is such an intriguing story. A squad of four ODST’s are paired with one Spartan to snipe a Prophet on a deserted planet. The narrative was good and the performances were good. But again, some of the designs ticked me off. In Homecoming, you could distinctly tell the gender of a Spartan by their armor. But this was just another set of Master Chief look-a-like Mjolnir armor. And also, the unidentified alien ruins looked peculiarly human in design. But nevertheless, this was not a bad short.
And last but definitely not least, is The Package. This is without a doubt the best of the shorts if you can manage to keep up with it. The pacing is wicked fast and the graphics (that’s right I said GRAPHICS) are top notch and the story is first rate. In true Halo style, Master Chief takes center stage to take on the Covenant along with fellow Spartans Kelly and Fred. Although a little short in the character development department, that’s not what makes this short worthwhile. No, it’s the action and nothing else! This short was made by the best and brightest in CG animation (for their budget), and there are many fan nods. One is the first person POV that is sporadically placed through one massive shootout. Am I geeking out? OF COURSE!!!!! Some of you may not feel like I do, but this is my opinion and I’ll stick to my guns on this one!
The Special Features on this set are almost identical to the ones you’ll find on Blu-Ray. Except for one featurette. I hate how the studios are just trying to entice us to upgrade, even though some of us (me for example) cannot afford it! But its only one documentary, so I guess for once, I won't rant and rave about it.
The Making of Halo Legends is pretty standard. There is a Making of segment for each “episode” narrating the concepts and visuals that inspired the film makers. While I am not that well versed in anime, I can tell you that there are some heavy hitters brought in to make this film work. And seeing them work on sketches and other techniques is cool.
Halo: The Story So Far is basically Origin if it were narrated by Frank O’Connor. No, he doesn’t go into the Forerunner history, but he chiefly talks about the events that occurred throughout the Halo games that were out at the time. Mainly Halos 1-3. If you’ve played the games, this isn’t going to interest you much seeing as how you have already fought your way through the games. And for those who haven’t had the pleasure of the Halo experience yet and don’t want to be spoiled….. stay away from this feature.
The DVD also comes with commentary by Frank O’Connor and Joseph Chou (the supervising directors. And Mr. O’Connor is also the Franchise Development Director for the WHOLE Halo Universe!).
I haven’t listened to the commentary, but I never really do unless the movie was SO bad that I needed to hear exactly what they were thinking at the time (Tim Story on the Galactus Cloud is a good example).
Overall this is an enjoyable film, with some really heart wrenching moments, and some moderate features. Nearly twice as long as any other Warner Premier or Marvel animated film, I would definitely tell you to pick this puppy up!"
As a bit of an update, I got a Blu-Ray player for Christmas and am fully appreciating the transitions and Features!
I hope you enjoyed this review and look forward for more to come!!!!