Kill them, kill them all (Dialogue) No cheap scripting tricks, Halo's script was first rate and had no cliched lines that we've all come to know and love/hate, e.g:
'I am your father!'
'You want war?! I'll give you a war!'
'Come get some.'
'I'll be back.' (Not even jokingly)
'Bring it on!.'
'I....I can't go on....'
I'm sure you know the rest, now it's possible that minor characters can get away with some of those lines almost as a comical aside, but if the Chief, Cortana or Keyes start spewing lines like that, well I think it'll be clobberin' time.....see what I did there? It's not big and it's not clever.
'With my last breath' shot (Cheap Death) Good guys (i.e. MC, Marine) get done battling bad guys. They finally win the battle and start to walk away. Suddenly, one bad guy has a final breath and gets a shot off killing one of the main characters. The bad flops back down as we see a hero holding their dead friend.
Isn't that timing handy! (Split-second groans) Covenant somehow get their hands on cortana and plug her into their computers to download everything she knows. MC goes after her and encounters tons of resistance. He battles almost until the death. Just at the moment the last Elite is about the drop the sword on MC, Johnson shows up from behind and sticks a plasma nade to the Elite's head. He explains his presence by saying Cortana's default security system was sending an SOS. And just because that last elite is dead, the people on the bridge can no longer download Cortanas AI.
The Face of an Icon (Not in the face!) It would be a crushing blow to the Halo community if the face of the Master Chief were revealed. I know it's been said before, but I think I have a good reason to back it up. The faceless nature of the Chief may be what allows people around the world to immerse themselves so fully into the game- the UNIVERSE- of Halo, because his lack of a face allows for the possibility that he could be just about anyone: black, white, purple, doesn't matter. Plus, his "facelessness" allows him to be more than human, as it were, much the way the Darth Vader's initial facelessness allowed him to be more than human. Where Vader was a physical incarnation of evil with no recognizable human characteristics, the Chief can remain a super-human physical incarnation of heroism. Revealing the face of the Chief would not only destroy the mystery and widespread appeal of the character, it would also render him the one thing that many people know him to be, but have trouble imagining: it would make him human.
Stories are what make people feel alive... (Positive Thinking) I'm 22, and a full-time college student, I have two jobs, and a girlfriend...I play sports, and I'm a hardcore-to-the-bone Halo fan.
Why? The story. I bought an Xbox solely to play Halo 2 in the comfort of my own room. I bought Halo 2 for the storyline, which, in retrospect to my "I CANNOT F*CKING BELIEVE THEY ENDED IT LIKE THAT!" outburst at the end of the game was un-warranted.
So, let me give a basic run-through of what I *do* want to see in the movie:
*Good, well thought out stories, principally following the SPARTAN-II's (Like the "The Fall of Reach"), not in the extreme detail for fear of it running 2 hours of ad-hoc crappy story telling. To truly tell that story it'd take at least two movies of 2 hours apiece...Which I'd pay to see...over, and over, and over again. =)
I'd like to see it done well, obviously. No cheesy music, no cheesy first-person perspective like in DOOM, which, I wish I hadn't seen...I still want my 6 bucks back.
Ultimately, I'd like to see a story of the first book, and the whole first game. Like both of the books dedicated to those were written, The Flood, and TFoR.
How so?
Have the scene with Keyes, and the good Doc and their recruitment, and the moral complexities of the actions they're taking...
Explain the storyline of the origins of the SPARTAN-II's in a compressed series of scene's, not stills, but motions, 30 or so seconds a piece for the important one's, 5 seconds for less important one's. From the first day of the SPARTAN-II program to the day they get the first phase MJOLNIR armor. That way, *crosses fingers*, "First Strike" in movie form could have a longer flash back to the asteroid base mission...Like I said, I'm a huge fan.
When it settles down, could have a voiceover for all I care, I'm no movie genius, I just know what I do and don't like. Anyways, post-that, go into a shorter version of what happens, a quick lead up to the Cote-De-Azur landing they make, thus, being super-bad-ass looking.
I just had Deja-vu about writing this as I'm proof-reading it...*weird*
That brings me to another point in this movie shenanagin (sp??), there should be from ODST, Marine, Army??, personel views, not first person, but from their perspectives of the SPARTAN's. That's a crucial point I think, to show that while they're great soldiers, they're not liked all around. (Silva)
The main thing I'm thinking is after the mission there, it jumps forward to the mission to secure the Covenant Ship...
Not a complete run-through of it by the minute, just the attack on Reach, the loss of the SPARTAN's (apparent *loss* that is)...And then, the dream of Halsey, the cryo tube specialist and his boss' convo, the chief wakes up, and then, well...
"The Flood"...Just like that book was written, but, god know's how long (in a movie) my suggestions would take, so, take out anything that isn't story specific, mission's the chief went on, to give it a sense of importance that he really is the only one who could pull it all off...Silva and Keyes' convo, maybe even, something involving the Commander of the Covenant Fleet (a nod to the Arbiter himself, afterall, that'd be pretty neat after all the Human-sided stuff going on thus far)...And...well, I'm sure Alex G. has written something good...I hope.
Anyways, that's what I'd like to see, attempting to not show the chief's face when he's young wouldn't just be impossible, it'd be kinda' stupid, since he'd be *much* older in the game-settings, and it also adds to the emotion of the story.
Further on though, no, I personally would rather hear him than see him, getting the voice-actors to do them would be a huuuuugely good thing for this movie.
Having said *ALL* of that...actors to play 'em?
Keyes and Johnson (comedic relief, and general sense of, while he's a jokester, he's just as scared of losing as the Chief is) are the only one's I can think of that have two good actors...
Ed Harris, something about him, he seems like he'd just be *good*, maybe it's Apollo 13 that makes me think this. As he was in charge there...Who knows??
And, just hear me out, Denzel Washington as Johnson...Now, if you've never seen him lose his seriousness and have a bit of morbid-fun, I don't know, just, same as with Ed Harris...I just *think* he'd fit the bill with the right acting-coaching.
Finally, for god sakes, make sure Bungie is the final group who says if it's good or bad...*I hope*
Last...I mean it this time...
To all the HBO staff, I've been coming by the site, probably ten times a day, for a good 3 years now. And I've never joined because well, I run a sportscar forum website that takes alot of my time and I just, I can't dive deeper into something I love so much as the story of the SPARTAN-II's...Weird really, but then again, having a love of a story is what makes people, well, people. And this movie has the chance to do that for literally, millions.
Finally, feel free to email me if you'd like any help in the LAN a certain person has a certain house sometime *whistles*, I live in NY, go to college in Albany, and well...heheh, I'm a huge fan. =)
I'll even pay for the whole thing. =)
Seriously, I will. =)
Once again, thanks for the chance to express my opinions, and I can't wait to see what HBO has in store for everyone who visits it daily in the future!!
it could work (Not in the face!) It would not be to awful to see MC's face but only if the story line of the movie is based on the book(the actor whould have to look like the book says he does)and I say this because it would folow the book but if the story was not from the book then showing MC's face just would not work.
Religious War Changed (Scared of Realism) Changing the zealous religious theme as the reason behind the Covenant vs. Human war, because it could be seen a represntation of current US conflicts. I.E. 'Holy Warriors', 'Jihaad'.
Character Developments Changed (Character Development) Any changes in character development based on a more politically correct 'ideal' version; Either done for more mass-market appeal, or for a less offensive and more palatable version.
If it does happen we might be lucky enough to get a directors cut edition dvd to see something more akin to what we expect.
Music (Music) Any... and i MEAN any use of the song "let the bodies hit the floor" by that band with that guy that died... anyway, no clich? heavy metal, or any non-original tracks. If they do use heavy metal,(or other such clich? music selection), I want it to feel like its from the future, and dont try to make it a remake either... i ain't gonna fall for that. I want a complete and collected movie not a hash dish.
Teh Lies (You're freaking me out) After disagreeing with Bungie's Halo story Bible, Hollywood will kidnap Bungie's staff, then begin to write thier own Bible, making sure to include every clicheh' added to this database :(
... (Positive Thinking) Dear Bungie: The halo universe has evolved and grown big through the years,and has come to such an intresting point in which the Halo universe stars presenting a level of complexity only true halo fans really apreciate, so , bungie or whosoever reads this: dont tune down the complex, very well built story you have done with the 2 games and the books into a usual Hollywood story where there are BAD and GOOD guys, just keep up the work you've done and put it smotthly and with style on a very good movie.
PS: Please dont show MC's face... and keep the game's voice actors
Emotional Chief (Weepy melodrama) If they make the chief too emotional, I will be very unhappy. He was trained to be an emotionless killing machine, and he does a good job of that.
Stupid Henchmen (Scared of Realism) We all know that the covenant are not stupid, and that their soldiers are grizzled dudes. I want to see a lot of death and accurate shooting on both sides. None of this..."5 baddies sprayin bullets everywhere and the good guy takes them all out with a revolver from 50 yards away" crap. Just apply that ideology to Halo. I mean...even the Grunts can do damage when the attack is coordinated well.
I mean, they don't always have to be dead-eyes, but at least a threat with the weapons in their hands.
Afterstories (Character Development) Oh my god, AFTERSTORIES. That old "Jimmy went on to graduate from college, and Sarah and Brian got engaged. As for Kyle, he's still doing his time in community service after the cops caught him" thing that I have grown to despise so much.
Bang Bang, You're Dead (Scared of Realism) Here's a tip for aspiring movie heroes: the bad guy NEVER dies from the first few shots. He'll get up six minutes later when you think everything's well and safe with a butcher's knife/sword/pistol and attempt to make one final shot at you just like every other action movie villain in the history of modern film.
