After years of promises and speculation, theHaloTV series has finally dropped onParamount Plus. In retelling the tale of Master Chief and his battle against the malevolent Covenant, the show aims to be a love letter to longtime fans of theHalogames. Sadly, it seems to have missed the mark, as those fans have come up with as wealth of criticism after each episode, lamenting the sloppy writing and bizarre creative decisions.
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Ironically, audiences have garnered more enjoyment making fun of these aspects. Since the start, meme after meme has popped up, mocking the incompetence of the series and illustrating how the games blow it out of the water. This may not be the entertainment that the showrunners intended, but it’s better than nothing.
7A New Side
This is a phrase fans hear whenever their favorite stories are adapted. The creators are basically saying, “We know better than you.” No surprise, butthis rarely turns out well. The mindset mostly comes from writers and producers who’ve never experienced the work and don’t understand why it was so beloved. As a result, they attempt to mold it to fit their own sensibilities or phone it in to make a quick buck from name recognition.
At this point, even the most loyal devotees are cynical of such promises. This meme perfectly captures that cynicism, and it’s all the more warranted considering the dissatisfaction with the finished product.
6Master Thick
TheHaloseries might aim for photorealism, but there’s a difference betweenrendering armor in a gameand translating it to live action. Maybe Master Chief should have stayed on consoles. The show’s loyalty to the original design results in a suit which looks too bulky to move in, let alone fight.
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It’s a far cry from the sleek soldier whom fans are used to. Some fans illustrated that gripe with a visual gag, creating a Master Chief who had ten McDonald’s meals too many. Sure, it’s exaggerated, but that doesn’t make the complaint invalid. On top of that, it doesn’t make this meme any less funny.
5Put That Thing Back Where It Came From
This gripe soon became emblematic of the whole show. To get into Master Chief’s head, the creators felt the need to remove his helmet. It’s simply easier for Pablo Schreiber to convey emotion if he can use his face. Sadly, this is when he ceased to be the character in many people’s eyes.
There’s an art to acting through a helmet or mask. It requires more expressive body language, direction, and vocal performance.The developers achieve those qualities in the games. After such long-term success, fans are rightfully angry that the show throws that out the window. Many of them probably shared Mike’s attitude. Here’s hoping that rage will get its own musical number like theMonsters, Inc.line.
4Discount Cortana
Getting original Cortana voice actress Jen Taylor back should have scored the show a few easy points with players. As soon as they saw their favorite hologram, however, those warm feelings dissipated. The shoddy textures and lifeless eyes take this Cortana straight to the uncanny valley. Fans would rather just go back to the older model.
Again, while the games have a photorealistic aesthetic, they’re still far enough away that it’s not unsettling. More importantly, the graphics don’t come at the expense of animation, as the developers inject more personality into this AI than the CG artists ever do in the show. As such, the old Cortana is easier to emotionally invest in and more pleasing to the eye. The newer model is justan overproduced rebrand that turns out inferior.
3Percy Jackson, Hold My Beer.
Audiences often debate which IP is better, but surprisingly few discuss which is worse. Pop culture is practically begging for it considering the negativity surrounding many adaptations before they’re even released. Such is the case withPercy Jackson. These books previously saw two film adaptations,both of which were maligned for being cheap knockoffs of other children’s fantasy flickswith none of the source’s spontaneity. Worse still,the upcoming TV remake has generated controversy for race-swapping characters. Fans are now worried that it’ll be a product of the author’s current political beliefs rather than a faithful adaptation of his earlier work.
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That dual-pronged hatred is more than enough to compete withHalo’s current ire. Both cases are indicative of the creators simply not caring about the property. With that kind of apathy, it really would be a dogfight to determine which is more despicable.
If an adaptation differs drastically from the original vision, fans will just separate them.This has now happened with Master Chief. Disgruntled players have now created a chart which outlines the major issues with the show’s protagonist and contrasts them with the strengths of the game’s version. This really puts things into perspective.
The new rendition seems like the product of focus groups and board meetings. He has obligatory shirtless scenes, sex scenes with pretty girls to generation conflict, and melodramatic monologues about his feelings. It’s as clichéd as you can get with a modern action hero. The original Chief is understated, distant, and reliant on actions more than words. This is not only more interesting, but it better embodies a soldier whom you’d want to follow, hence the “Chad” label.
1Returning The Bomb
A core appeal of any action hero is the occasional one-liner. Master Chief has plenty, butone of the most satisfying comes inHalo 2when he requests permission to return the Covenant’s bomb. The villainous organization wanted to use it in their schemes against humanity, so it feels good to give them a taste of their own medicine.
