Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn

I don❜t know or care about the game Halo. I❜m an avid sci-fi enthusiast, especially when it❜s a tv series so there❜s time to flesh out characters and reveal complex story arcs.So far, given this is based upon a game, I am withholding judgment on almost all of the usual criteria OTHER than whether it was generally watchable without making me cringe? Yes. Was it too basic? Absolutely, 𝘽𝙐𝙏 a lot ground was covered in far too few episodes before a semi-cliffhanger ending that left me wanting just enough more to exercise that withheld judgment later in S2 if in fact that comes around.As a stand-alone single season, I will update my 4 stars down to a 2 should the show be canceled or have no further plans.

This is a tough movie to review. The Good: Photography is very, very good and realistic. The writing is above average and doesn't spell everything out - implies things that the viewer has to think about, which for me is the mark of above average writing. It has some stupid moments like when all of the cadets completely forget their training and act like civilians, but some of that is just a lack of military knowledge on the writer's part. The acting, for a group of young actors is decent and everyone is giving it their all - no one is just mailing in the part. The Bad: Everyone in this thing is scrawny small. The men and women are skinny, with absolutely zero muscle, size, or threat about them. It begs the question - has casting actually seen special forces military personnel? The real military men (and women) are big, tough and scary. I studied martial arts for years and I can guarantee you, size matters. This movie completely ignores the physicality of the actors in terms of their roles and that makes it really hard to take them seriously, regardless of how well the actors deliver their parts. Contrary to Hollywood lore - special forces are BOTH physical and smart - it's not a binary choice. The writing falls into a few Hollywood tropes but not to the point of being obnoxious. In the end I think it's worth a watch, but don't get your expectations too high or you will be disappointed.

Woah. The exposition was a nice tie-in to the time just moments before Halo 4, and tried--and failed--to explain why a certain character in Halo 4 acted the way he did. We then jump to the (unknown time frame) present.The first act looked like it was filmed on a cardboard soundstage with freshmen actors trying to act like they were in the actual UNSC. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, even the protagonist.The second act's complication(s) were unimaginative and cliched. I started wondering why I was wasting my time; I just didn't care about any of the characters. Oh no, the protagonist is questioning his role! Whatever will he do? Nobody likes him! Sigh.The movie throws in an "I knew that minor character was going to die the moment they opened their mouth" moment that was supposed to be horrible and traumatic, but just made me roll my eyes. So then we get to the--surprise!--Covenant invasion...for no reason. The planet in question is supposed to be in the heart of the UNSC's worlds, _and_ it has no strategic value (well, maybe to disrupt the production of human troops, but we've already established that unenhanced humans were basically cannon-fodder in the first three Halo games).By the third act, the covenant have killed the entire planet except for our protagonist and some of his buddies. Yes, THE ENTIRE PLANET. So having painted themselves into the corner, the inept screenwriter has no choice but to push that button that says "Do not press" : Deus ex machina. They went there, hard. And then they tried to take it back, so there'd be "tension," but it was too late. When you press the button, *everything* is fixed. The only thing left is to see how fast the movie can run out the clock. Thankfully, it didn't take very long.

I picked this movie up from a Red Box because I was bored and wanted something to watch that I haven't seen before. This movie was near the bottom of my list of things to watch because I am not a fan of the Halo games, so I didn't really hold out much hope for the movie. I expected it to be basically like Starship Troopers (which was a great book that got turned into a disappointing movie) and I did not have high expectation for it at all.To my great surprise this movie is excellent. It is far closer to Enders Game than Starship Troopers, and the movie shines because of it. The majority of the movie follows a group of cadets (probably aged around 13-16) who are the children of the military elite as they progress through military school. I am guessing that this all deals with the "lore" of the Halo series and technically takes place before the first game, because it didn't have anything to do with the video game I remember playing (which to me is a huge plus). Instead of fighting aliens the children are learning how to fight "Insurrectionists", a group who's purpose is never explained but left enticingly nebulous. The 10 or so minutes of the movie that did include the main character from the games (Master Chief) were the least interesting portions of the movie but didn't do enough to make me drop down to 4 stars.This was a wonderfully written movie, good dialogue, good coming of age themes, dystopian overtones, it is well paced (something many big budget theater release movies can't seem to get right), well acted (which is a accomplishment considering that 90% of the cast are teens), and engaging.If you are a fan of Halo then I can't really advise you if you will enjoy this. If you are like me and are either not a fan or are ambivalent about Halo as a franchise but enjoy things like Enders Game or Old Mans War then do yourself a favor and pick this movie up. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Where do I begin - I LOVE THIS FILM (albeit it's a bit on the short side). I only wish Peter Jackson/WETA had had the courage to produce the full length feature film years ago when they had the chance - they would have easily made their money back just through the fans of the games alone.This mini-film is a truly riveting story of a young man's personal conflict with his feelings about the war on the Insurgents, and centres around his life in a training academy for young UNSC cadets, who are at this point oblivious to the new terror about to be unleashed upon the Human race. Before long, all hell breaks loose, and we're introduced to some familiar heroes and foes. The story is convincing in it's own right, and as an added bonus, the opening and ending of the film also provide links between Halo 3 & 4, providing a nice bridge into the Halo universe for those that have not played the games yet (WHY NOT?).I plumped for this Deluxe Edition, as I have with many of the games, and don't begrudge paying the extra for a Blu-ray/DVD combo set, as it is something I will cherish and watch for years to come.

After many years of loyalty to the Playstation, I recently broke ranks and bought an XBOX 360. The main reason, Halo.When I get into something I like to see support material, anything that adds to the world/universe/mythology. Matrix has the Animatrix, The Dark Knight has Batman Gotham Knights and Star Trek and Stargate have audiobooks.Halo 4 has this. Forward unto Dawn is a great piece of filming, an introduction to a new universe of possibilities.The build up is good, slow and steady, focusing on characters. A small military academy, a group of young cadets. A young man's journey.Then "he" appears. The Master Chief.Having never played the game and experienced first hand his presence, it was amazing. A giddy thrill to see him on screen. Live and very kicking.This is for people who like sci-fi and particularly fans of the Halo series. As an introduction to the series it is excellent and well worth a look.

Quite good action and effects.However the dialogue was at times incomprehensible. It could just be the fault of editing or directing. Being an action film you would think this didn't matter but anyone who has watched First Blood or more recently Band of Brothers will know that dialogue just adds to the grittiness and immersion.

Brilliant film. Bought for my son who is a massive Halo fan. I watched it with him and even I found it to be a very good story line and I'm not particularly a big fan of the franchise. Would recommend for anyone keen on the game series or anyone who likes a movie with action and suspense.

I have played the game and I though the movie would follow the game, but no. I was surprise at the story line, about the cadets and the invasion of the planet they were on.As you know or don't , Forward unto Dawn is a space ship, so I was wondering how the name of the space ship fits with the cadets.Apart from that not a bad movie.