As an avid sci-fi fan when I first heard about the Halo: Forward Unto Dawn web series, I was skeptical that it was worth watching, and rightly so. Historically, movies and TV series based on video games have generally lagged far behind the games they were based on. Just think of movies like: Doom, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege tale, Prince of Persia, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat and the list goes on. Being a fan of the Halo franchise, I decided to watch Halo: Forward Unto Dawn anyway, but I prepared for the worst. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by a miniseries that can be enjoyed by any sci-fi fan and those who are already familiar with the Halo franchise will be in for a real treat.

For starters, this series doesn’t feature a group of amateur actors in their first role – the average viewer should recognize several familiar faces throughout the series. For example: Anna Popplewell was one of the main characters in the Chronicles of Narnia films and Ayelet Zurer is well known as the protagonist of Angels and Demons.

The graphics and special effects are excellent too, more in line with what you would expect from a big-budget sci-fi movie than a miniseries promoting a new video game. Various aliens wielding pulse weapons and energy swords look appropriately terrifying in their realism and the battle scenes are very well done.

The creators of this series managed to get every little detail right and any fan of the series will immediately recognize the various weapons, vehicles and aliens on display. Rather than go their own way and change important details for the screen like so many video game adaptations do, the administrators of Halo: Forward Unto Dawn complement the games without ever stepping on familiar ground.

This series gives us a glimpse of just how great the often-rumored Halo movie could really be. Peter Jackson from Lord of the Rings has been associated with the film for years and a script has been written, but the project has been on hold due to disagreements over distribution rights. Despite these issues, Jackson still insists that the movie will be made, and for my part, I am now incredibly excited for the day when a halo movie will grace the silver screen.

For any sci-fi fan, this little web series is a lot of fun and shouldn’t be overlooked. For those of us who have played the Halo: Forward games, Unto Dawn is an absolutely essential viewing.

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