Perhaps you are one of the many who has not been caught up in the Halo 3 hype. That’s okay. It’s alright if you don’t like it or just don’t get it. It’s probably because you’ve never played it. This week’s release of the game marked the largest grossing entertainment launch in history – Halo 3 racked up $170 million dollars in sales exceeding Spider-Man 3’s box-office opening and sales of the other recent geek midnight madness for the final book in the Harry Potter series. So, if you are not caught up yourself, there’s a good chance you know someone who is.

At its core, the multi-player aspect of Halo is as simple as schoolyard games like tag, king of the hill along with a healthy dose of paint-ball thrown into the mix. Perhaps that explains its unprecedented popularity – in many ways, it’s a new kind of sport. And while it’s very easy to understand the rules, it can take time to master the skills required to become a great player. But that only applies to the multi-player element of Halo, the campaign mode of the game actually has all the makings of the next great movie franchise on the level of a Star Trek or a Harry Potter.

A Faceless Hero
Basically, Spartan Officer John 117, or as most of you non-gamers know him, Master Chief, is the last of the Spartans, a kind of "Super-Stormtrooper," if you will. And we’ve never seen his face which allows anyone playing the game to picture them in his helmet. This is very much in keeping with the spirit of epic myths as explained by author Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. However, any film version of the movie will likely have to reveal the face behind the mask as this seems to be the most often asked question, “What does Master Chief really look like?” The answer is simple… he, or she for that matter, is you. I am hoping Chief is female, that would be hot.

Epic Musical Score
John Williams is the go-to man of choice when it comes to epic films. From the Star Wars movies to Indiana Jones and Harry Potter, he has composed the most memorable film scores in history. And if you can’t get John, there’s always Danny Elfman who has also created some amazing film music as well. Martin O’Donnell & Michael Salvatori have created a music track to accompany the levels of Halo’s campaign mode that is both emotionally stirring and triumphantly epic. It’s like no video game score you’ve ever heard and even non-Halo fans will recognize it if one begins to hum the notes.

War, Weapons and Blowing Up Real Good
There is no shortage of impressive technology in the Halo Universe – from the weaponry wielded by the Chief or the alien guns from the Covenant. The Covenant consists of a loose collection of alien allies who shoot pretty purple laser weaponry, the coolest of which is the “needler” gun. The “ghost” motorcycle is also damn cool along with the very practical “warthog.” It’s like opening the toy soldier set and letting them loose in a world where anything goes and in the sci-fi film world, we haven’t seen anything as epic as the battles portrayed in Halo. Well, we haven’t seen it yet, at least.

Actress Jen Taylor (center of course) is best known to as the voice of Cortana.

Sexy Holograms
Cortana is Master Chief’s guide through the story. She’s sexy as hell but unfortunately is not real flesh and blood – she’s a hologram and the Chief will only touch her in his dreams. In the world of movies, Cortana would be known as “Miss Exposition” showing up at key moments to explain what just happened, what we need to do next, and the goal that must be achieved. But she’s so much more than that as she represents, in a sad way, desire that will never be fulfilled.

Scary Zombies
Who doesn’t love zombie movies? The Flood is the scourge devouring sentient life in the galaxy, turning living things into a cross between the horrific creatures from George Romero’s Dead films and John Carpenter’s The Thing. Just the sounds of the Flood monstrosities creeping around unseen will make your skin crawl. And these things are as scary as they are hard to kill. I personally love all things zombie-related and I even have a bumper sticker on my car that reads: I “heart” Zombies.

The Biggest Threat in the Galaxy
Sure, the Star Wars movies had the menacing Death Star, two of them in fact. And Star Trek had that giant carrot-shaped planet eater from the original series, the huge Borg Cube from the Next Generation and the colossal V’Ger from the Motion Picture. But the Halo ring dwarfs them all with its ability to wipe out all life in the galaxy to prevent the scourge of the Flood from spreading. Now requires coining a new word on the level of Humongo-normous-colossalopolis!


Could a Halo movie win Peter Jackson another Oscar?

For some reason, the Halo movie has been filled with false starts, even with talent like Peter Jackson involved as executive producer. Perhaps this recent financial milestone and public frenzy will inspire a version of the film that will resonate beyond the rabid gaming fan base. And we may even see, for the first time, a movie based on a video game that actually goes on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Just kidding, I think a Halo movie that works as a decent motion picture would be a worthwhile achievement on its own. Clearly, all the elements of a great film experience are there, but doing it right may be as difficult as finishing the fight… solo… on Legendary. (You know what I’m talking about.)

Gore gone!

Chris_Gore prefers to beat campaign before attempting multi-player. So shoot me.