Wednesday 1 January 2014

Film Review - Halo 4 Forward Unto Dawn

After watching the rather uneven Halo Legends a while back I wasn't expecting too much from this, but the live action TV ads provided some hope that this would be watchable. That turned out to be the case, in fact it starts really well with Cortana slowly losing her mind on the Forward Unto Dawn while the Masterchief is in cryo-sleep.Her distress beacon is picked up by another UNSC ship whose commander has a personal connection with the Masterchief.

That promising start is eroded somewhat by the body of the film which is the flashback of that connection back during the cadet training programme. This part of the film isn't great, it's not terrible, but it's no Full Metal Jacket. In fact in many ways it reminded me of some of the higher quality fan made movies.

Things do pick up when the Masterchief makes his appearance when the academy is attacked by the Covenent, although maybe my memory is failing me, but it didn't sound like the same voice actor from the game. However the attack is more fun to watch and a Spartan in action is always fun to watch.

Somebody has also been watching too much Spartacus as it suffers from the same excessive slow motion whenever something vaguely interesting it happens. Still overall it's not a bad film, you'll get more out of it if you enjoy the games and this is unlikely to convert you to the Halo universe but if you are already a fan it's worth a watch.



Based on the globally renowned Halo® franchise, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn delivers a dramatic story of heroism and sacrifice. Set against the backdrop of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) military academy, Cadet Thomas Lasky struggles with doubts about the ongoing war with the outer colonial planets. As he comes to terms with his potential as a military leader, the academy comes under attack from a terrifying alien assault. Lasky must fight to protect the academy and its students alongside an armoured super-soldier known only as the Master Chief. Written by Todd Helbing and Aaron Helbing (Smallville, Spartacus) and directed by Stewart Hendler (H+, Sorority Row), the feature boasts a diverse cast of Hollywood talent and a top-tier production team. This edition features Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn beautifully packaged in a limited edition cardboard sleeve, 40 minutes of exclusive bonus content including Behind the Scenes, Cast and Crew Interviews and much more.


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