So I watched the trailer for Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios’ new first-person shooter, Halo: Reach, during the Spike Video Game Awards last Saturday. All I have to say is one word: Meh. Color me not impressed. All I saw was the same old same old. Was I supposed to have jizzed in my pants because a Spartan has a skull painted on the visor of his helmet? Honestly, unless there is a multitude of surprises – both in story and gameplay – I can say Halo: Reach will get about a week of my attention, just like Halo 3: ODST did. That was $60 I wish I’d never spent.
Frankly, I’m a little put-off by Bungie’s yawning and boredom with the Halo franchise. Same with Microsoft. They see a giant cash cow that squirts golden milk from its tired teats with little or no effort on the part of either company. They know, just like Star Wars, that if they stamp the name Halo to camouflaged turd the fanboys will sprint to their local Game Stop and throwdown $60, gobble it up and defend it to the death. Microsoft and Bungie essentially have taken a once promising franchise and pissed away its potential.
Which brings my tirade full circle and to a point I never hoped to make: Any hope of a Halo movie is unequivocally dead. It will never happen. Ever. And I’ll tell you the only reason why: Timeliness.
Yep, with the advent of Gears of War and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, I’d say people are starting to forget Halo. It’s fading, and as I said before, I’m not sure Halo: Reach can bring it back.
I’d say universal love for all things Halo peaked somewhere between 2006-2008, at the end of Halo 2’s run and about a year into Halo 3’s release. Sure, people still hop on XBOX Live to play, but the experience has changed. It’s boring and any semblance of teamwork is replaced with first-class douchebags of all ages trolling the gametypes looking for the twisted adrenaline rush that comes from being a jackass.
Before Halo 3’s release, when it was announced Peter Jackson would produce and Neill Blomkamp would direct a Halo movie, it seemed like everything was peaking. You’d have to search far and wide to find someone who doesn’t love Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Halo fans automatically had visions of grandeur for what Jackson and Blomkamp could bring to the big screen. Blomkamp’s series of Halo shorts even quieted some of his “he’s never directed a movie before” detractors for a time. I would say District 9 has officially closed the argument of his ability, but then as Jackson has said repeatedly over the last six months, the Halo project is dead.
And here’s the kicker. It’s going to stay dead. Steven Spielberg isn’t going to gobble it up and Jackson is going to resurrect his plans to produce it. Microsoft’s greediness destroyed any chance and now the issue of timeliness will keep it in the grave. When it comes down to it a movie version of Halo simply won’t make the impact today as it would have in 2008 or 2009. And with what the movie would cost, that seals the deal. So long, Halo.
Check out the Halo: Reach trailer below. If you have thoughts, please, do share.
43 comments On Halo Will Never See the Big Screen
Hmmm….your an idiot
What was the most played game on Xbox Live till CoD came out? Oh it was Halo 3
What sort of shooter is Halo? Its definately not 3rd person
Jackson says the Halo project is dead? I believe he has said he or blomkamp will not touch the movie
And my last point….its took James Cameron quite a while to get Avatar even started, Halo is one of the biggest game franchises ever and has quite a large fan base….
There is still plans for Halo content for another 6 years, so stop your complaining
I might be an idiot, but at least I have the balls to put my name down behind an opinion. And what the hell are you talking about third person? Fact is, the Halo project is dead and Jackson has reiterated that in interviews regarding The Lovely Bones.
And so what about Avatar? Are you telling me in 10 years a Halo movie will still be relevant? Doubtful.
I spent countless hours playing Halo 2 and Halo 3, all I’m saying is it’s all played out. It’s boring now and I see nothing fresh on the horizon. That means times up and THAT is why the movie is dead.
Now go pull your panties out of your butt.
your very retarded
That’s all you got? That’s your follow-up? Lame.
dude! ok first off there is no game as magical as halo and i beleive that it is the best shooter out there. yes ok some people didnt like odst but after seeing that trailer i think reach will be amazing, after all they have been making it since halo 3! a halo movie will just require sooo much hard work and well….a lot of cash to make it right! but halo will always have that special something that makes it different from other fps’s.
peace out
Im proud of you Andy your finally talking sense about the overhyped, overbaked, pos that is Halo.
Dont listen to the nameless dipshit console fanboi, he’s obviously 14 or 40 and sadly living in his mummy’s basement still believing that Halo was the creation of first person shooters.
..And yeah..wtf did this come from? “What sort of shooter is Halo? Its definately not 3rd person” ..uh ok..was the crack pipe still lodged in your mouth when you wrote that statement?
And to the other genius who’s obviously toking the same blow as timmy up there.. “dude! ok first off there is no game as magical as halo and i beleive that it is the best shooter out there.”
While i respect your opinion…well i really dont but its your opinion and we live in a free country but this clearly is proof of drug use in America.
Shall i write a list of games that are not only better in design but are more creative, run smoother, play tighter and are more engrossing than the aim assisted copycat sfi shooter known as Halo?
No..i shant, it’d be a waste my time.
Back on topic, i can think of more deserving sci-fi material out there to make into a film than some stupid effing video game.
Okay, first off, just to defend one thing ‘Person’ up there was trying to say in mentioning “What sort of shooter is Halo? Its definately not 3rd person”. Despite the bad spelling and punctuation, I believe he was trying to hit back at how you were saying with the advent of Gears of War…people would forget about Halo. Gears of War (as you know) is a 3rd person shooter. My guess is he was trying to say don’t compare Halo to Gears of War as they aren’t really the same. Anyways, that is cleared up now.
Look, I can understand where you are coming from in saying that Halo is aging and Microsoft and Bungie are just trying to get as much money out of it as they can before people really do forget about it. I mean, they keep saying the ‘last of the Halo saga’, but then somehow they produce another one. But…you have to think, why do they do this? There has to be a good reason why they would risk releasing new games?
It’s because people are STILL interested. There is still a huge fan base for the Halo franchise, and it is still growing, and it will continue to grow as long as Bungie or Microsoft don’t screw it up. If people are going to buy these games, of course Bungie and Microsoft are going to take that opportunity. I mean, in all honesty, wouldn’t you? If you were an entrepreneur, you would take any advantage of making money.
Which is why I think a Halo movie will be made eventually. As long as there are fans, there would be no good reason not to make a Halo movie. We might not see it for at least 5 years, but I really think it will be made.
I agree that the quality of Halo games has diminished and its peak was from 2006-2008. That was the time that Halo was truly god in console games. Now, not so much. Halo 3:ODST was alright, but it was forgettable. However, I am quite excited for Halo: Reach. Mainly because I have read the books, and it will be interesting to see the other Spartans in action. But…who knows, it could also be a flop. (To be honest, I’ve played heaps more MW2 than Halo 3:ODST).
Anyways, I think you need to lighten up Andy. You sound like some grumpy, bitter blogger who thinks he’s making a difference by “having the balls to put [your] name down behind an opinion”. You’re not making a difference. But thanks for expressing your opinion on the net so that it encourages thoughtful discussion.
I’m so bored with Halo, I really have nothing to add.
well….although i am a self confessed halo fanboy.
I see where your coming from.
I was hoping to even get a part in the Halo movie but now I see the that the fact that Reach could have made some other director realise that 'cher ching'
But the reach trailer didnt make me go 'Holy Shit' it made me go 'Oh ok …theres more right?' but no:(
i love halo you all are crap your just mad that they have more money then you sence they made it so srew you guys and have a nice day .XxsgtxX.
Andy you’re my hero.
You’ve taken one for the team and now will have to bare
the unrelenting waves of Halo fanboys running to defend
their sacred game.
Excellent piece.
@Lawrence – Great points, but you don’t need to capstone it with “lighten up” Andy. I’m not a bitter blogger. I simply have an opinion and am sharing it. I don’t expect people to agree, and if I play Reach and it’s the Second Coming of Jesus, I’ll say so.
@Dan – Amen.
@Andrew – Thanks!
Let me reiterate that I am a Halo fan. I have all the games. I also have many frustrations. I’ve been holding out hope for a movie, but after ODST and the previews for Reach, I’m starting to feel, as evidenced in my post, the franchise is losing steam and luster. Trust me, if a movie ever gets made, I’ll be first in line. But it won’t happen. Sorry.
I almost don’t want to defend Halo ODST now for being reffered to ad a fanboy; however since you get not only the actual ODST game but also all the Halo 3 map packs it actually works out cheaper to buy ODST as aposed to buying each map pack seperatly.
Anyway I though this particular sentance was brilliant:
“Was I supposed to have jizzed in my pants because a Spartan has a skull painted on the visor of his helmet?”
I thought the trailer was quite good to be honest, but each to their own and I certainly respect your opinion. Good article :)
xxsgtxx:
You're retarded.
I'm pretty sure xxsgtxx is a 12 year-old boy I owned on Team Slayer the last time I played Halo 3…like a month ago.
Call of duty modern warfare 2 thats all i have to say. Screw halo quit talking about it move
This blog should have been titled “Why I Am Bored With The Halo Franchise”.
I'm dissappointed that you were baited by an idiot. I'm dissappointed that you use the word “Meh”. I'm dissappointed in your poor logic. According to your line of logic the DOOM movie couldnt have been made because HALO CE had come out.
Your (possibly) valid arguments for being trepidatious about a game do not translate into interesting insights on the future of a Motion Picture.
Please give it another go.
I'm disappointed that for how many times you said disappointed you still couldn't figure out how to spell it right. Even so, you say my logic is flawed, but I presented one reason – timeliness, and you my friend haven't given any arguments as to why I'm wrong. Your Doom comment makes no sense whatsoever. I suggest you go back to the drawing board, crawl out of your overly tight fanboy underpants and try again with something more intelligible.
Despite my spelling, I will spell out the logic for you. (also I'm not a fanboy I like halo alright but Im not hung up over it. I am a MOVIE fan) But first let me say…I harbor no particular dislike for you…I really am disappointed!!!
I thought you were going to write a good article about the movie and encourage a discussion…not throw insults because I'm disappointed by your lack of follow through. It's not my fault you got so passionate about your little game and game trailers that you lost sight of your point.
On to your logic sir. Here is the quote. “with the advent of Gears of War and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, I’d say people are starting to forget Halo.”
I reference it because the advent of HALO CE did not prevent or inhibit other video game movies such as DOOM which is also an FPS.
Your argument about timeline seems to conveniently ignore the trend that it presents. That trend is the growth in sales and popularity for the Franchise as a whole that has occurred over time.
your turn. Will it be more insults about such childish things as underpants (who says “underpants” anyway?)? Will you simply give up? Or will you talk about the myriad of economic, demographic, marketing trends, writing, direction, and production factors that influence the potential creation of a movie?
doesnt us (we ….whatever) talking about halo make us remember halo??
thus proving the other guys point in that we havent forgotten.
I mean this with all respect but didnt you just contradict yourself in making this article?? (about the forgetting part..the rest i'm sorry to say but yeah your right)
This is one of the most biased things i have read in a while. Andy you say you are/were a fan of Halo but in your comments you cleary support those people who are all about bring down halo. Maybe you should write something that actually makes since, for one reason how long did it take doom to come out. And Grammer, how dare you correct someones grammer. Color me not impressed is not a sentence but a sentence fragment. When you take on someones comment don't bring up grammer unless you are a god of the english language. When you ask people for opinions in a comment section do not have your first post screaming at somebody because they have their own opinion that YOU ASKED FOR! Odst was actually a very good game to some people. Every game has fans if its good or not. Calling out a game meh from a trailer is very stupid and unintelligible. By the way was ghost an awsome character in MW2 because he had a skull painted on his face, NO! He was not because he went through a character arc. I am very sure that this spartan will go through the same way. Every one posting on this comment section saying MW2 is so awsome I got one word for you: NO. IW made the first game special by making you live through your characters death because it was unsespecting. Having the player go through that three more times made it seem like they were all out of ideas. The multiplayer was alright but barley any improvment over the first game. More like MW 1.5 in my opinion.
People commenting need to understand two things – first and foremost, I am a Halo fan. I've played all the games, both campaign and XBOX Live (well, Halo 2 and 3 and ODST). I consider myself a gamer. As such, I feel like I have a right to criticize and grow frustrated with something I have adored. There is no hidden agenda here. The logic is simple: It is my opinion the games – ODST and Reach – are moving forward on borrowed light and that in the process Microsoft and Bungie have lost some of the “umpf” they had a few years ago. I think the popularity of the games and the potential for that diminishing is what will (and is) stymieing any efforts to bring this to the big screen. Folks, understand this: The Halo movie is not progressing in any way shape or form. It isn't even in development hell. It's dead.
You want to talk economics? That is precisely why the movie isn't getting made. Microsoft wants too much money. According to Universal and Fox, who were going CO-FINANCE the movie, they simply couldn't agree with what Microsoft was demanding. You can look at that two ways, i.e. maybe the studios are the greedy bastards, but frankly, what evidence can Microsoft give to the studios to show them a Halo movie would rock at the box office? And make no mistake, that's all that matters to these folks.
As for your comment about Halo CE and Doom, that still is irrelevant. I'm saying a Halo movie is dead for the same reason Doom crapped out at the box office – it came in too late. That movie would have been great in the late 90s when the game was at the height of popularity. Your point of refute is exactly what I'm saying in my post: timeliness is everything and Halo, in my opinion, missed it's opportunity to strike when the iron was hot.
Steve, I'm glad it is biased. It was supposed to be. Opinions are biased. I can call a game “meh” from a trailer because the game studio is asking me to like or dislike it from the trailer. It's called marketing. It's supposed to pique my interest. I'm saying the trailer for Halo: Reach did not pique my interest and was pretty bland.
PS – I didn't correct his grammar, I corrected his spelling. If you'd like, I can do the same for you. I think you, like many others, need to take off the Halo fanboy glasses and look at this obectively. You'll see I'm right. And if you don't think I am right, that's fine, too. It's called an opinion and we all have them.
At any rate, thanks to everyone for the comments. One thing is for sure, we are all passionate. And like I said, if Halo: Reach is everything everyone hopes it will be, I'll say so. I have no problem saying I'm wrong. Same goes with the movie. I'd love to see it be made – and soon for that matter, but I don't think it will and that's a real tragedy.
Woo! I'm just glad you finally understood and replied to my “point of a refute” instead of talking about fanboy underpants!
I am going to make a point that I was HOPING to find when I read this “article” (instead of a fanboy tirade (your word)). I think the reason there will not be a Halo movie has nothing to do with percepeptions of popularity vs other FPS or you oft cited “timing” issue.
I think there will not be a Halo movie because there is no need for a Movie in order to satisfy fans. Gaming as a viable, profitable, entertainment venue for the masses is beginning to outstrip movies in a way similar to how movies caused obolescence of theater. Why make a movie that may “tank” as DOOM did when the next game caters directly to a captured audience, a willing market? People fail to realize that a video game movie is a novelty the same way a movie turned stage musical is. A good or even great Halo movie, no matter how nostalgically appealing, is a technological and entertainment downgrade from making the next great Halo game. “Impact” is not an issue because the fans are there and new fans are coming to replace those jaded and disuaded ones.
You see, I never disagreed with your basic premise…only the reasons behind it.
Who knew Halo was so damned serious.
That's a good point and I think you're right. In all honesty, while gamers might “wish” for a movie, a movie doesn't have to happen to keep the franchise alive and kicking. Fans will keep buying the games. Well said.
video games are lame. especially since i just spent a small fortune on them today. why oh why did I have to give birth to so many boys?
I saw the leaked gameplay footage of Halo Reach before it was snapped up by Microsoft and i must say as far as Halo goes it looks promising, it uses a whole new engine and what i saw looked and ran better than Halo 3's engine could ever do.
Course this development footage was probably running on a PC so who knows how its going to translate to a console with 512mb of system ram.
I do think a film will eventually be made, Hollywood is on a video game to movie bandwagon and i dont see it slowing anytime soon and Halo has taken the route of the Command and Conquer series, it will be milked and driven into the ground until every last penny can be squeezed out of it.
Well, I agree with a lot of what you guys have said here tonight, but I have to say I hope the movie is made. No, it doesnt have to be made in order to make the big bucks but I would lay down the price of admission to see it. And by the way Andy if you havent played Halo CE, then you need to hit your nearest gamestop and pick it up. Its the best campain out of them all.
@Leonidas933: Hear, hear!
Star Wars spanned 28 years for 6 movies. Even if it took 3-4 years to produce a Halo movie, the desire would be there to see it. Whether a studio could do it justice is another question altogether.
I agree with you on all that you said (except for the Halo movie project is “dead” thing.)
I hate what they're doing with the franchise now. Bringing out more spin-offs. Its a waste of money just to make another game that's exactly like the previous (take Guitar Hero for example, same stuff and even same songs in some parts).
Making spin-off's is how a popular franchise like Halo gets killed.
And the movie is not actually dead. It's not on hold for awhile but, I doubt we'll see a Halo movie anytime soon. Doubt it will be released or made in 2012, like IMD.com says. But, I'm willing to bet alot of money that it will be made in the future. Maybe in the next decade.
Seriously…Halo is like a man's Twilight…us ladies can't understand what all the fuss is about…
Listen…Andy.. you ask for people to share their opinions. Awesome, great, you seemed like a respectable writer who can take a hit and blow it over his shoulder…. but…”That's all you got? That's your follow-up? Lame.” …seriously? dont give into the juvenile environment your readers may try to bring in. And as for your idea on the movie.. sure that seems logical but if you think of the picture in itself..away from the game, hype, and action figures… you have a very impressive film that could separate itself from the adolescent attitude found on a video game. something everyone can watch in awe and totally forget about the over hyped game. Only a good movie can pave its own way for a re-ignition..and from some of the visual styles ive seen on youtube..it looks like this movie could be movie of the decade.
Matt, I completely agree. Having Peter Jackson behind the project and Blomkamp as a director was the right way to go. I felt they could bring a grittiness to the Halo story that satisfied both casual moviegoers and fans of the franchise. I'm sure this could be accomplished with the right people and budget, but I can't escape the thought that Halo has passed it's prime. People keep comparing to the franchise to Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, but really? Halo's only been around for six years. I don't see it etched in stone so much as the others.
STILL, with all that, I hope it happens. And, to be honest, I wasn't sure how Lord of the Rings would come to the big screen, but they did it and it was glorious. So, there is hope still for Halo.
“I'm pretty sure xxsgtxx is a 12 year-old boy I owned on Team Slayer the last time I played Halo 3…like a month ago.”
That is FUCKING classic! AH, I love it. Well, despite how sad I am to accept it.. People need to realize that chances for this movie are fading. Faster than slower.. Microsoft and Bungie better step up their game with Halo: Reach and try to salvage whatever fire is still burning. I have to say that I have Andy's back on this little debate.
The movie of the decade has already been filmed and releases tomorrow, its called Avatar folks.
..Not so sure of the game though, hehe.
Well I seriously doubt that Avitar will be the movie of the decade. I havent seen it yet, and it does look awesome but it just came out of nowhere….Halo will be a title that has a following in comparison to the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. (All the more reason to hope for it) And who says that Halo's fire is dying down. I think that with every new game that Bungie creates a newer and larger fan base is born. Ive played Halo from the day it hit the shelf and Im still not bored of it. As well as most of my friends. I play COD 4 and WAW but when I want a solid smooth playing game I always come back to Halo…Its the most solid game play and the corner stone of online gaming….Cant beat it..
Hey Dave, sticking to the basics, and what made the first game great is why Halo has come as far as it has. And I can think of a few games that are also good examples..Like, COD 4 MW, COD 5 WAW, COD 6 MW2. Rainbow Six Vegas and Vegas 2. All great games, all very similar to their former brothers. Your logic doesnt work brother…
Children, can we play nicely? Otherwise the fat jolly man won't visit next week. Remember, eveyone's opinion is valid (if only to them). 'Tis the season of goodwill.
See, Susan, I knew there was a reason I loved you!
I am a girl gamer who LOVES Halo, has played hours and hours of Halo, but I have to agree with Andy…the timing for the movie has passed, the days of Halo (at least for me) are over and if a movie is made, I might see it, I might not. I guess I have just outgrown my days of Halo. I don't think that the movie will be made.
You know what i dont get? Who cares!! obviously if halo was boring why would microsoft and bungie be releasing another game? Let them have their fun, people will still buy more halo so why not give them more? Andy, why the hell would you waste your time writing about halo if you're so bored with it? Everyone likes different fps' so just let them play their call of duty, or halo. geez!
Andy was writing about a Halo movie, using the game as an example of Halo losing some of its zeitgeist. You're spilling your console love into his movie statement. Reread and repost.
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