Note: I decided to do a bit of a review of the Halo 4: Spartan Ops cinematic story as a stand-alone movie.
To start out, Spartan Ops takes place 6 months after the events of Halo 4. The Spartan IV's are being deployed to Requiem aboard the UNSC Infinity, in order to explore Requiem and study the Forerunner secrets contained within. However, the mission is complicated by the presence of Covenant remnants, who have already occupied Requiem with the same goal in mind. However, the Infinity is the first ship of its' brand new and advanced kind, easily blasting through the Covenant fleet before taking position in orbit over Requiem to deploy the landing force. From there, the story involves the Promethean, the Librarian, and Dr. Catherine Halsey, as the struggle to control the legacy of the Forerunners enters its' latest chapter.
The story is really interesting, with a healthy does of science-fiction mixed in with some mystery and a blast of action to keep the tension high. It's also refreshing to see the UNSC becoming less of a pushover like it was in previous Halo titles, making Master Chief always feel like the only thing humanity ever made that was worth a damn. This new era of the UNSC following the war with the Covenant really has humanity coming out of its' shell, and while it's the Spartans doing most of the hard work, having them make up a sizable portion of the UNSC forces makes everyone look more useful, as scientists and commanders all feel like more than a simple plot device.
The animation is all top-notch as well, with both human and non-human characters shown with a degree of realism that makes everything look and feel much more believable than in previous incarnations of the franchise's story. All the ships, vehicles, and other technology looks cool, but at the same time believable, with the animation allowing for epic firefights with alien foes without breaking the immersion. Animating this movie was definitely the correct choice, and the fact that they put the detail into it that they did was simply amazing, making it easy to forget that you were watching an animated feature in the first place.
Those of you who have been fans of the Halo universe through the years might recognize one very familiar face from recent Halo lore: Captain Lasky. While most of the characters from Halo 4 are tied in, Lasky is commanding the Infinity, as well as the expedition back to Requiem. Seeing him in action is a breath of fresh air, with his leadership steering everyone through the various crises that come up, as well as facing a moral dilema later on that forces a rift between some of his fellow officers.
Overall, this was a refreshing take on the Halo universe, with plenty of science to go with the fiction, as well as showing an incarnation of the UNSC that isn't always on its' last leg. The story is left in a cliffhanger, opening up the door for the follow-up to the story, but there is a lot of entertainment here, even without playing through the missions that accompany, and you don't miss out on any of the story, either.
Good:
-Interesting science-fiction story that offers plenty of exploration, mystery, and general substance.
-Follows-up with several of the interesting supporting characters from Halo 4.
-More emphasis on a new face of UNSC that isn't all bruised and bleeding from always getting beat on by everyone.
Bad:
-Barely a mention of Master Chief, so don't come in expecting to see Spartan 117 kicking ass, because it doesn't happen.
-Thorne was rather underdeveloped as a character, which is a disappointment because as a central character I expected more to be done with him on a personal level.
Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10
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