Halo: Season One 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Halo: Season One 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 15, 2022

Microsoft's Halo has been the Xbox console's flagship franchise since the original game debuted in November 2001 and forever redefined multiplayer and the first-person shooter genre. The franchise has since spawned a number of sequels and spinoffs, including the latest entry, Halo Infinite, which serves as something of a soft reboot for the franchise. But in the two decades that the game has been dazzling players on their consoles and TV screens with not only first-class gameplay but also compelling narratives, well-drawn characters, and rich Sci-Fi universe building, talk of a feature film has mesmerized fans with the possibilities. Of course, video game film adaptations have a fairly shoddy track record -- even content rich games like Uncharted tend to translate into wholly underwhelming movies -- so it was with great joy, and some trepidation, when it was announced that Halo was skipping the big screen and was instead being developed for television. Finally, here is season one of the live action Halo, with none other than Steven Spielberg executive producing. Halo has everything going for it. The question is whether the show can break trends and actually meet expectations and translate into the incredible content that anyone who has ever played any of the games can so clearly envision.

Official synopsis: After years of human civil war and growing political unrest, mankind's very future is threatened when our outermost colonies intrude upon the sacred worlds of the Covenant – a fanatical powerful alliance of alien species. As the Covenant destroys world after human world – only one soldier slows their advance – a cybernetically enhanced "Spartan" supersoldier, the Master Chief. But as the incredible mystery of the Covenant's true ambition, and the secrets of his own enigmatic past converge, then he will have to decide if humanity is a cause worth saving.

Halo’s narrative is unquestionably complex. There are a lot of moving parts and while the show does well enough to familiarize newcomers with the world while simultaneously building stories, it does assume some baseline understanding, but even just a little of knowledge about how the franchise operates will go a long way to carrying the larger narrative in play. The viewer is dropped into the middle of the larger, complex web of intergalactic politics and war, science and technology, hope and fear. It is well designed, developed, and deployed, and the show generally strikes a fine balance between plot and character development and action. However, there are times when the show can be a bit slow and plodding as it works to build plot, world, and characters in the early episodes. The action is appropriately well staged. The show can be graphically violent and hard hitting with plenty of gunplay, use of the energy swords, and the deployment of heavy weapons and armor. There are scenes that are very reminiscent of the game, right down to seeing the action through the Spartan helmet perspective, but the show doesn’t rely too heavily on trying to replicate the first-person experience and rather builds a capable, more traditional overview presentation.

All of that said, the big question is whether longtime game fans will enjoy it. The answer is Probably. The story is not as rich as that in the games, especially the early ones, and truth be told those stories, especially accompanied by the redone cinematics in the recent remastered versions, make for a better watch. The early game narrative blows this out of the water. This is a little less risky or bold and it lacks the scope and grandeur the games really get at, but there is no denying that this is a very good adaptation of the Halo universe. It’s not perfect and watching an edited string of cutscenes (or just playing the games!) will probably be more rewarding, but the production team has done a good job from the top-down of bringing the franchise to live-action life. One of the more alarming, and perhaps potentially show-breaking, elements is the choice for Master Chief to remove his helmet right out of the gate in episode one, destroying the mystique and lore that the games have held onto for more than two decades now.

The following episodes comprise season one. Summaries are courtesy of the Blu-ray packaging.

Disc One:

• Contact: In the year 2552, humans on the planet Madrigal have been fighting for independence from Earth, but a fatal encounter with the Alien Covenant complicates things. Master Chief John 117 and his super-soldier "Spartans" join the fight. After the battle, Master Chief heads to his home planet of Reach with a Madrigal survivor and a mysterious object he discovered on the planet. But a controversial order has John questioning his mission, and himself.
• Unbound: John takes Kwan to an old friend and learns more about the mystery object, which the Covenant and Makee are determined to steal. With the alien threat growing, Dr. Halsey has a plan to deal with John's unpredictable behavior.

Disc Two:

• Emergence: John meets his new partner, and he discovers secrets inside his own memory. Kwan wants to return to Madrigal to continue her people's fight for independence, but Soren has other plans for her. Makee initiates her plan to retrieve the Madrigal object, with deadly consequences.
• Homecoming: Guided by his visions, John takes Halsey and Cortana back to where it all began, looking for answers from his past. With Soren along for protection, Kwan goes in search of an army. Meanwhile, John's behavior inspires another Spartan to begin a journey of self-discovery. And Miranda discovers a possible link between the artifact and something much larger.

Disc Three:

• Reckoning: On the run and out of options, Kwan and Soren have a difference of opinion. With the possibility of finding the mysterious Halo on everyone's minds, John makes a horrible discovery. And the war rears its ugly head.
• Solace: Survivors from battle return to Reach. John confronts Dr. Halsey, and the lies of his past. The new prisoner seems to know John better than he knows himself. Determined to know more, John turns back to the mystery artifact, which shows him something truly startling.

Disc Four:

• Inheritance: Kwan's journey to uncover her family's "true purpose" takes her deep into the deserts of Madrigal. Soren obsesses over unfinished business.
• Allegiance: John and Makee come to terms with their shared vision. Halsey has one last chance to save her mission, and herself. As things come to a head, everyone must choose a side.

Disc Five:

• Transcendence: Beaten, battered, and betrayed, John 117 leads the Spartans on a suicide mission to find the Halo and save humanity. But at what price?

Halo: Season One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Paramount releases Halo: Season One to the UHD format with a striking 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation. This is much crisper than the Blu-ray, offering a more dynamic, razor-sharp image. Skin definition offers surprisingly substantial gains to fine definition, including pores, hairs, forehead wrinkles, and other skin creases. There's a certain added depth and dimension that even the fantastic Blu-ray cannot quite achieve. Likewise, the Master Chief (and other Spartan) armor presents with more refined, tactile, and precise definition across the board. Digital constructs look terrific as well, particularly the various alien creatures, and the viewer will enjoy even greater clarity and sharpness to all of the intricate little touches that bring these characters from the computer to the TV screen with seamless life and vitality. Noise is minimal and compression issues are not readily evident.

The Dolby Vision color grading bring a majestic sense of life to the picture, well beyond that of the companion SDR Blu-ray. The picture showcases greatly added tonal depth. It can be darker in lower light shots, but the sense of absolute intensity and brilliance to the bights bring about a true sense of color accuracy that is just missing from the Blu-ray. Bright and dark extremes are beautiful. Look at a simple exterior shot at the 41:44 mark of episode three where there are bright lights set against a nighttime backdrop; there's so much life to the bights and so much depth to the blacks. It's a striking shot. White balance is superb here, presenting with a brilliance and clarity that is second-to-none. Spartan armor, and particularly Master Chief's gold and green armor, delights with its sparkling clarity (the former) and natural depth (the latter). Skin tones look fantastic, and Cortana's electric blue accents dazzle with a color spectrum perfection and boldness that is absent on the Blu-ray. This is a first-rate UHD picture from Paramount.

Halo: Season One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For this UHD release of Halo's first season, Paramount has done something unusual within its own home video release parameters, which is offering a different audio presentation for the UHD compared to the Blu-ray. It is a practice that studios like Sony and Disney have been using for years now. The Blu-ray includes a 5.1 lossless track whereas this UHD set includes a Dolby Atmos presentation. The advantage, beyond more channels, of course, is that this track fares better than the Blu-ray's for overall clarity and substance. It's more dynamic, intense, and consistent. The track provides seamlessly immersive bustle around the listener in crowded locales (listen at the 20-miute mark of episode three). Din and other environmental supports are very well integrated for surround content as well as volume level. Action elements are crisp and dynamic with positive bass and, again, seamlessly surrounding integration. The overheads don't carry much in the way of plainly discrete content, but the added sense of spatial accuracy certainly helps to bring the best out of the material. Music soars with perfect clarity and full stage engagement. Dialogue is true for placement, prioritization, and lifelike detail.

Halo: Season One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Halo: Season One includes hours of bonus content scattered throughout the set, with episode-specific content on each disc and the more general overview extras all appearing on disc five. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover. No Blu-ray discs are included. This set also includes several collectible character cards.

Disc One:

• Halo The Series: Declassified (1080p): Host Sydnee Goodman explores all of the "buzz-worthy moments" from each episode. essentially, these offer lengthy episode recaps, cast and crew interviews, fan reactions, behind-the-scenes content, franchise lore, and more. Included are 101 (19:49) and 102 (20:37).

Disc Two:

• Halo The Series: Declassified (1080p): Host Sydnee Goodman explores all of the "buzz-worthy moments" from each episode. essentially, these offer lengthy episode recaps, cast and crew interviews, fan reactions, behind-the-scenes content, franchise lore, and more. Included are 103 (22:36) and 104 (27:01).

Disc Three:

• Halo The Series: Declassified (1080p): Host Sydnee Goodman explores all of the "buzz-worthy moments" from each episode. essentially, these offer lengthy episode recaps, cast and crew interviews, fan reactions, behind-the-scenes content, franchise lore, and more. Included are 105 (27:47) and 106 (24:55).

Disc Four:

• Halo The Series: Declassified (1080p): Host Sydnee Goodman explores all of the "buzz-worthy moments" from each episode. essentially, these offer lengthy episode recaps, cast and crew interviews, fan reactions, behind-the-scenes content, franchise lore, and more. Included are 107 (26:38) and 108 (32:10).

Disc Five:

• Halo The Series: Declassified (1080p): Host Sydnee Goodman explores all of the "buzz-worthy moments" from each episode. essentially, these offer lengthy episode recaps, cast and crew interviews, fan reactions, behind-the-scenes content, franchise lore, and more. Included is 109 (36:36).
• Dissecting the Battle of Madrigal (1080p, 10:01): A closer look at building the stunning battle sequence that is seen in the first episode's opening minutes. It also looks at surrounding plot elements and characters.
• The World of Halo (1080p, 8:49): Looking back at the franchise's video game roots and the lore that has been built over the decades. This is a good primer piece for viewers who don't know much about the series.
• The Culture of the Covenant (1080p, 9:43): Looking at the new character, Makee, and her place in the show. It also looks at translating character models from the games to the series, Covenant language, production design, and more.
• Adapting Halo (1080p, 13:08): Exploring key production design elements from throughout the season.
• Becoming Spartans (1080p, 8:06): Exploring the cast who play the Spartan characters.
• Creating the Costumes of Halo (1080p, 9:20): As the title suggests, this piece explores various costumes, designs, and purposes throughout the series.
• Weapons and Vehicles of Halo (1080p, 10:20): Again, a self-explanatory supplement that looks at the fun stuff: guns and vehicles used in and designed for the show, based on the video game.
• The Making of Cortana (1080p, 4:56): Bringing the crucial and fan-favorite character to the screen. It looks at performance, character qualities, and VFX.
• The Lake of Eternal Life: A Song from Halo's Score (1080p, 2:44): Discussing a key piece of music from episode three.

Halo: Season One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Halo's first season may not reach the level of "compelling" that its video game series reaches, but this is a solidly produced and generally engaging Sci-Fi TV show that whets the appetite for even better things to come. It's nice to see it finally realized to some level of success. Here's hoping that the recently announced Gears of War series coming to Netflix and also based on a flagship Xbox franchise, will also at least reach this level, if not higher. Paramount's five-disc UHD set delivers excellent 2160p/Dolby Vision video and solid Atmos audio. Tons of extras are included. Recommended.