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Halo |OT3| Remember Reach?

Havok

Member
Late or not, trying to blame any one factor on the failure of the Halo movie is ridiculous.
It was a simplification of the situation. Ultimately, they had the biggest responsibility to stop trying to be the big dog in this situation because they were out of their element (Donny). Of course there were a lot of factors involved, I know that, but those factors frankly weren't going to ever be as large of an actively damning element as Microsoft who was, by all accounts, hoping to be dominant in this relationship and not budging on that stance. I still want this stuff to happen, and I hope all the parties involved learned a lesson. I'm sure Microsoft learned how Hollywood works, but I think Hollywood is just going to keep being Hollywood until the end of time (though I imagine that Columbia would probably jump all over a project like this, with Sony being in the situation they are, financially). They're not going to change, somebody had to. A pithy line at the end of a post doesn't mean that I think they were the only ones at fault, just that I have higher expectations of them.
 
Let's get some book discussion going in here. It's been a few months (seems longer), but which do people prefer: Cryptum or Primordium?

I'm going to have to go with Cryptum because of Primordium's hundred-page long trip that went nowhere.
Primordium. It may have been a bit more tedious in the first half, but those last 50 or so pages were as close as the Halo novels have gotten to true hardcore science fiction, and it was fucking awesome.
 
Just finished Glasslands, pumped for The Thursday War in October. So many cliffhangers...

I definitely enjoyed the Bear novels more, just because they're so much more mysterious and removed from the rest of the fiction. I read straight through Cryptum and Primordium, while with Glasslands it felt like I was watching a TV series, but a good one nonetheless.
 
It was a simplification of the situation. Ultimately, they had the biggest responsibility to stop trying to be the big dog in this situation because they were out of their element (Donny). Of course there were a lot of factors involved, I know that, but those factors frankly weren't going to ever be as large of an actively damning element as Microsoft who was, by all accounts, hoping to be dominant in this relationship and not budging on that stance. I still want this stuff to happen, and I hope all the parties involved learned a lesson. I'm sure Microsoft learned how Hollywood works, but I think Hollywood is just going to keep being Hollywood until the end of time. They're not going to change, somebody had to.
You're viewing this from a perspective where a movie being made = success, which I disagree with. Simply a movie being made isn't good enough. A GOOD Halo movie is the barometer of success, and in that regard, the studios were more responsible for sabotaging the film.

What good is a movie if it's mediocre? If Hollywood got the rights to make more and ruin the fiction? If they destroyed the only two major characters that are important (Chief & Cortana)?

The fact that a movie didn't get made, but I rather no movie get made then a mediocre one and a situation where studios hold the fate of the franchise.

The only positive things that came out of the project where because of Microsoft.
Microsoft paid Alex Garland to write a great script.
Microsoft got Peter Jackson to jump on board and bring WETA Designs into the mix.
And although Microsoft weren't too keen on Neil Blomkamp, they trusted Peter Jackson enough to give Neil the reigns.

This is what I'm talking about. You think the studios would pay someone $1 million to write the script and make sure it's drenched in fiction? You think the studios would've pushed for Peter Jackson as a producer?

I find it so odd that you're ready to shit on Microsoft for not bending over and taking it in the ass by Hollywood and giving up control over their most important entertainment IP.
 

Havok

Member
You're viewing this from a perspective where a movie being made = success, which I disagree with. Simply a movie being made isn't good enough. A GOOD Halo movie is the barometer of success, and in that regard, the studios were more responsible for sabotaging the film.

What good is a movie if it's mediocre? If Hollywood got the rights to make more and ruin the fiction? If they destroyed the only two major characters that are important (Chief & Cortana)?

The fact that a movie didn't get made, but I rather no movie get made then a mediocre one and a situation where studios hold the fate of the franchise.
That's where I think we're misunderstanding each other. I think that if Microsoft had ceded some of the financial strain they were putting on those studios, either by demanding less up front or putting up some of the production budget, they could have gotten away with having creative control without much of a fuss, leading to a greater chance of a good movie. That's not to say that they give away their merchandising rights, or give the studios control of the IP, or whatever, but just make some concessions in order to get what they want, ultimately (a quality movie that will still net them plenty of profit). There's still DVD sales, movie-related merchandise, whatever. It doesn't end at the box office. Hollywood is always going to be kinda shitty because everybody's trying to make a buck, but I think Microsoft could have, without massive changes, made things happen. I'm not placing the blame solely at Microsoft's feet, I just expect a software company to realize that the film industry isn't where it needs to whip out its dick and set it on the table. It's all moot at the end of the day anyway, arguing over what might have been is a little pointless. Halo isn't at the forefront of the public mind anymore, at least not to the degree that it used to be. The environment isn't really as favorable now, and it might never be again.
 
You're viewing this from a perspective where a movie being made = success, which I disagree with. Simply a movie being made isn't good enough. A GOOD Halo movie is the barometer of success, and in that regard, the studios were more responsible for sabotaging the film.

What good is a movie if it's mediocre? If Hollywood got the rights to make more and ruin the fiction? If they destroyed the only two major characters that are important (Chief & Cortana)?

The fact that a movie didn't get made, but I rather no movie get made then a mediocre one and a situation where studios hold the fate of the franchise.

The only positive things that came out of the project where because of Microsoft.
Microsoft paid Alex Garland to write a great script.
Microsoft got Peter Jackson to jump on board and bring WETA Designs into the mix.
And although Microsoft weren't too keen on Neil Blomkamp, they trusted Peter Jackson enough to give Neil the reigns.

This is what I'm talking about. You think the studios would pay someone $1 million to write the script and make sure it's drenched in fiction? You think the studios would've pushed for Peter Jackson as a producer?

I find it so odd that you're ready to shit on Microsoft for not bending over and taking it in the ass by Hollywood and giving up control over their most important entertainment IP.
Making shittons of money like Transformers.
 
You're viewing this from a perspective where a movie being made = success, which I disagree with. Simply a movie being made isn't good enough. A GOOD Halo movie is the barometer of success, and in that regard, the studios were more responsible for sabotaging the film.

What good is a movie if it's mediocre? If Hollywood got the rights to make more and ruin the fiction? If they destroyed the only two major characters that are important (Chief & Cortana)?

The fact that a movie didn't get made, but I rather no movie get made then a mediocre one and a situation where studios hold the fate of the franchise.

Ya but thats not what the article says. MS was just not used to not being the guy who controls everything and then not get most of the profits on top of that. The movie industry isn't software and MS was out of their comfort zone. They already had a potentially good movie there with 2 major studios already involved and ready to back it, Peter Jackson, Weta and Neil Blomkamp involved and they went on to make an amazing movie together in District 9. What more can you ask for without knowing anything else about the Halo movie? Its a damn shame and its MSs fault for not wanting to share plain and simple.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
Just finished Glasslands, pumped for The Thursday War in October. So many cliffhangers...

I definitely enjoyed the Bear novels more, just because they're so much more mysterious and removed from the rest of the fiction. I read straight through Cryptum and Primordium, while with Glasslands it felt like I was watching a TV series, but a good one nonetheless.

Another book coming before Halo 4? Damn, I'm finishing Onyx now.
 
Ya but thats not what the article says. MS was just not used to not being the guy who controls everything and then not get most of the profits on top of that. The movie industry isn't software and MS was out of their comfort zone. They already had a potentially good movie there with 2 major studios already involved and ready to back it, Peter Jackson, Weta and Neil Blomkamp involved and they went on to make an amazing movie together in District 9. What more can you ask for then that without knowing anything else about the Halo movie? Its a damn shame and its MSs fault plain and simple.
The article clearly paints a negative portrayal of Microsoft but I just don't see it. Microsoft had a deal. Fox and Universal accepted. Then Fox and Universal backed out because they started getting cold feet.

Microsoft is to blame because they stuck to their deal?
Microsoft is to blame for not conceeding to the studios AFTER the deal had already been struck?

This isn't a fucking playground. A deal is a deal.
At the end of the day, EVERYONE is greedy, but Microsoft had more to lose so it's Microsoft place to not budge. If the studios partnered up and then struck a deal and then finally collapsed because of studios pussying out.

I love how the entire article points to Microsoft as the one at fault...but the bottom line is this....
In October 2006, right before a payment was due to be made to the filmmakers and Microsoft, Universal demanded that the producers’ deals be cut. Jackson consulted with his co-producers and Blomkamp, as well as with Microsoft and Bungie, and refused. In a stroke, the Halo movie was pronounced dead in the water.
Yeah, lets blame Microsoft for this.
 

Trey

Member
I'm going to have to go with Cryptum because of Primordium's hundred-page long trip that went nowhere.


Yes.

Glasslands.

Neither. Glasslands is not that bad though.

Ew.

Primordium. It may have been a bit more tedious in the first half, but those last 50 or so pages were as close as the Halo novels have gotten to true hardcore science fiction, and it was fucking awesome.


Er, okay.

I definitely enjoyed the Bear novels more, just because they're so much more mysterious and removed from the rest of the fiction. I read straight through Cryptum and Primordium, while with Glasslands it felt like I was watching a TV series but a good one nonetheless.

I was onboard with this entire post until here.

Glasslands is easily the most divisive book in the franchise. The paper Reach; you either love it or hate it.
 
I was onboard with this entire post until here.

Glasslands is easily the most divisive book in the franchise. The paper Reach; you either love it or hate it.
I don't really feel very strongly about it either way, but the characters and scenarios were interesting, and the narration on the audiobook was superb, really made it feel like a radio drama.
 

Trey

Member
I don't really feel very strongly about it either way, but the characters and scenarios were interesting, and the narration on the audiobook was superb, really made it feel like a radio drama.

Fair enough. Maybe the narrator gives it some feeling the words dearly lacked. For all my issues with the book, though, I did like how Traviss handled Lucy.
 
I prefer Cryptum more than Primordium. A lot more. It gives a complete new hindsight of the Forerunner. What they are, how they feel. Didact is absolutely an awesome character. An old warlord. But still he has emotion. The conflict between the Master Builder and the Librarian. I do love Cryptum. But Primordium has my favorite chapter or my favorite conversation of all Halo books. The dialogue between
the Didact and the Primordial.
Mind blowing. So many things get revealed. I hope the 3rd Forerunner Book focuses much more on the Didact and the Librarian. It must...
 
Sorry it's not embedded, I did it from the minus app!

ibpMsVgQ8y3MTQ.jpg

I want that pic in HD without the text for a wallpaper! Frankie Pretty please? ;)
 

Trey

Member
I prefer Cryptum more than Primordium. A lot more. It gives a complete new hindsight of the Forerunner. What they are, how they feel. Didact is absolutely an awesome character. An old warlord. But still he has emotion. The conflict between the Master Builder and the Librarian. I do love Cryptum. But Primordium has my favorite chapter or my favorite conversation of all Halo books. The dialogue between
the Didact and the Primordial.
Mind blowing. So many things get revealed. I hope the 3rd Forerunner Book focuses much more on the Didact and the Librarian. It must...

All of this.
 
I just hope the third Forerunner novel has no fat. It was a problem with Cryptum and Primordium, but less so in Cryptum. No need to pad out a story. "The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" is my favorite Halo story and it's only about seventy pages long.
 
I prefer Cryptum more than Primordium. A lot more. It gives a complete new hindsight of the Forerunner. What they are, how they feel. Didact is absolutely an awesome character. An old warlord. But still he has emotion. The conflict between the Master Builder and the Librarian. I do love Cryptum. But Primordium has my favorite chapter or my favorite conversation of all Halo books. The dialogue between
the Didact and the Primordial.
Mind blowing. So many things get revealed. I hope the 3rd Forerunner Book focuses much more on the Didact and the Librarian. It must...

You know, while I was reading that chapter I was expecting this huge revelation that would shake the foundations of the Halo universe. Instead, all we got was vagueness.

And listening to AC2's soundtrack has made me think which games are my favorite of this generation, i.e. which blew me away the most. I think Halo 3, RDR, AC2, ME2 and Skyrim pretty much cover it all.
 

Fuchsdh

Member
Have any of you guys actually read the Garland script, by the way? I plowed through it the other day (and then fortuitously it pops up in the news. Awesome timing).

It's clear the guy likes Halo, and in adapting The Flood he's got some really great instincts and then made some decisions that are horribly, horribly wrong.

Honestly, just get a quality screenwriter to work with the fan script Vocif worked up back in 2008, and spare me the Blomkamp/Reach-style "everything must be shaky or 'justified' camera" nonsense.

Halo isn't "The Thin Red Line"*, and it shouldn't look like every modern war movie. It's a war film with two parts action-adventure, a pinch of humor and a dash of space opera. It should feel cinematic.

*If Terrence Malick was anywhere near a Halo film that would be cause enough to end the world Mayan style to prevent the horror that would follow. Same goes with Darren Aronofsky.
 

Deadly Cyclone

Pride of Iowa State
I just want a Spartan Ops mission on Onyx, where we can see the camp site and Spartan 3 training centers, and the ruins. That would be amazing.
 
Halo 1 UNSC is best UNSC, Reminds me of starship troopers and the marines actually feel like real sci fi soldiers gritty and mean ect.

Marines_on_the_Battlefield.jpg


I cant explain it well but i love the UNSC in halo 1 (not to say i dont like them after H1) but they certainly went more towards a generic military in olive drab and away from the ruff tuff ho-rah space dirty space marines.
 
What would everyone's dream choice for a Halo movie director be? Excluding Blomkamp, I'd love to see Spielberg direct. I'm sure a lot of people would be against that given his recent productions, but I have faith he could recapture that magic. It'd sure be better than Robopocalypse is going to be.
Er, okay.
tumblr_lzbu2mflKW1rnjfjfo1_400.gif
 

Trey

Member
Glasslands is only divisive because some members of Halogaf have as big of a crush on Halsey as her progeny.

You can have a novel featuring an anti-Halsey/S2 Project angle if it wasn't just a boring rewrite of stuff already explored and resolved, retold through ignorant PoVs. Every instance of conflict Halsey was in felt contrived and inorganic, except for when
Lucy punched her
. And then there was an absence of the completely legitimate defense that made the entire enterprise devoid of tension and depth.
 
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