TL;DR – It’s an intriguing start to the season, even if it flounders a bit in the middle.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ service that viewed this episode.

Halo Review –

Back in the first season of Halo, we got an interesting story that actively went in different directions from the Halo series it was adapting. Some of it worked, some of it was a mess. I was not all that attached to the original story, so I didn’t mind the story changes. However, since then, while I might not have a greater love of the story, I have found a great love of the Halo games itself, which made me wonder how they would take the story from there.

So to set the scene, on Sanctuary in the Branta System, a platoon of Spartans are helping with a particularly difficult civilian evacuation. This is made even more so when a Covenant cruiser is spotted on an intercept course. It should be a routine evacuation mission, bar the fact that maybe the Covenant are already on the planet, and maybe Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) is all by himself outside of comms range. Well, it is a good thing he is a super soldier. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

One thing this first episode does well is create a compelling opening that works both as its own narrative and as a reintroduction to the world and the stakes in it. The pacing of this opening worked really well, with the slow introduction of the village and its people and the looming threat ever-present: lights in the fog, disinterested Spartans, and a comms unit going dark. Even before you know the Covenant are there, you can feel the tension in the air. The fight between Master Chief and the brutes was well constructed. The frantic energy, the attempt to keep it to one flowing motion, and the brutal nature of it all. You can see the limits of the budget at times, and the fog felt limiting until the final reveal. However, as the flames rush in and Kai (Kate Kennedy) holds back the ship while The Mother (Olwen Fouéré) walks to her fate, you can’t help but feel that it all worked.    

Conversely, the long walk that took Soren (Bokeem Woodbine) from his place of security to being captured was quite good. You know something is wrong. The kid is a bit too knowledgeable. However, the derelict ship crushing itself from within and all the potential crush injuries do work to make a mood. I wish there was a bit more to this, but I did like that they found a way to bring Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) back as a bridge with his son Kessler (Tylan Bailey). With Madrigal getting glassed off-screen, I was concerned that the show had jettisoned one of its best characters.

Where the story does flounder is in the middle. I get the role that James Ackerson (Joseph Morgan) is playing in the show, and there are more than enough hints in this first episode to see the future coming fast. However, you could see the show coming to a halt with all the pontifications, and I am not sure if Master Chief finding a civilian, Margaret Parangosky (Shabana Azmi) and a secret mission were enough to save that. Master Chief exists to take names and kick arse, and the subterfuge part does not work so far. However, I will say that if Viktor Åkerblom is playing who I think he is playing, then there may be some exciting times ahead.    

In the end, do we recommend Halo: Sanctuary? Well, if you liked the first season, then absolutely. If you didn’t like the first season, well, I think you might want to check this out because I think it might be shifting into something a bit more recognisable.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen Halo yet ?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.    

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Halo
Directed by – Debs Paterson
Written by – David Wiener
Created by – Kyle Killen and Steven Kane
Based on – Halo by Bungie & 343 Industries
Production/Distribution Companies – Showtime, 343 Industries, Amblin Television & Paramount+
Starring – Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone, Joseph Morgan, Shabana Azmi, Christina Bennington, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kennedy, Charlie Murphy, Fiona O’Shaughnessy, Cristina Rodlo, Danny Sapani, Jen Taylor, Viktor Åkerblom, Tylan Bailey & Bokeem Woodbine with Olwen Fouéré and Luke Polie, Benjamin Wainwright, Sam Gittins, Micah Karns, Genesis Lynea, Luke Davis, Blake Patrick Anderson, Josie Lawrence, Tomi May, Kamilla Szász, Juliette Motamed, Franc Ashman, David Crowley, Iliasz Shweirif, Ivanno Jeremiah, Maria Luisa Costa, Thomas Dominique, Karen Connell & Nathan Wiley