If you're a long-time Halo fan, you're painfully aware that the franchise has never had its own feature-length, in-theatres film release before. However, that hasn't stopped a number of studios from taking on the challenge. A number of short films have been made in Halo's long history, each with a unique story to tell.
The Halo timeline can be a bit hard to grasp for casual fans. There are lots of people online willing to explain it to you, but why not just watch these films instead? Watching them all will provide a pretty succinct look (alongside the games' campaigns) of human history in space.
Updated December 7, 2021 by Belle Huston: As excitement mounts for the upcoming Halo television show, you may be looking back on your favourite Halo content from years gone by. We've got all the films in one convenient location here for you, updated with extra details about where exactly they fall chronologically - in the Halo timeline, and in real life.
Halo: The Fall Of Reach - The Spartan II Program
- In The Timeline: primarily between 2517 and 2525
- Published: December 1, 2015
You might recognize the title "The Fall Of Reach," and that's because it was the very first Halo novel, published back in 2001. In 2015, when Halo 5: Guardians was coming out, the book was adapted into a miniseries.
It was meant to introduce players to Chief and the Blue Team, so some of it does take place just before Halo 5, but it has them all reflecting on their experiences with the Spartan-II program. As a result, stories are told in flashbacks to their training and a time before the war. Players who own Halo 5: Guardians have this miniseries for free, but it can also be purchased in bundles of Halo media.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn - Start Of The Human-Covenant War
- In The Timeline: during or shortly after 2525
- Published: October 5 to November 2, 2012
The story follows a group of students at a UNSC military academy. The Human-Covenant War has just started a few months prior, but the details haven't been released and the students are completely unaware — that is, until they are thrown into the action themselves.
When Halo 4 was coming out, the team wanted to make sure that new players didn't feel intimidated. Forward Unto Dawn was an attempt to familiarize these incoming fans with the universe's lore and characters. Though the Master Chief wasn't a protagonist, he did make a cameo. Fans can view it online now on Halo Waypoint or the Machinima site. You can also purchase it as a long film (with the episodes stitched together) on DVD or Blu-ray.
Halo: Landfall - Prologue To Halo 3
- In The Timeline: shortly before November 17th, 2552
- Published: October 26, 2007
Halo: Landfall is actually a collection of three short films that showed off the settings and special effects that players would see in Halo 3. Landfall's films were released, staggered, in the months prior to Halo 3. The final one, Last One Standing, come out only hours before Halo 3 did. They all focus on the Human-Covenant War and serve as the game's unattached prologue.
Shortly after Halo 3's release, these films were edited together and came to be called Halo: Landfall. They can still be viewed on the Bungie YouTube channel or purchased to own on DVD with online bundles.
Halo Legends - Miscellaneous Content And Just Following Halo 3
- In The Timeline: after 2552
- Published: autumn 2009
Halo Legends is a collection of short films. They can be purchased on DVD (and Blu-ray), though they've also appeared on on-demand services like Netflix from time to time.
"The Babysitter" was first, which follows a group of ODSTs as they attempt to eliminate a prophet.
"The Duel" came next and it features an Arbiter (though not the one we're familiar with) who attempts to leave the Covenant religion.
There were two that didn't air on Waypoint but which were included in the Legends collection: "Homecoming," which tells the story of a Spartan-IIs death, and "Prototype," which features a character who rescues his squad but must sacrifice himself for their safety.
"The Package" was made in two parts. In it, Master Chief and a few other Spartans must rescue Catherine Halsey, who is in cryonic hibernation, because her pod has been stolen by the Covenant.
One of the films in Halo Legends, called "Odd One Out," is not actually canon. It is a parody of the franchise in which a Spartan — a member of Master Chief's unit, no less — is stranded on a planet covered in dinosaurs and superhuman children.
Finally, "Origins" takes place just after the events of Halo 3. Cortana is musing about her existence and provides a little insight into the Forerunners and the Flood. She goes on to sum up human history in space (including the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3) and warn whoever is listening that the Halo rings are not the galaxy's only mystery.
Halo: Nightfall - After The Human-Covenant War
- In The Timeline: February 7, 2556
- Published: November 11, 2014
The name "Nightfall" has been given to a number of things in the Halo canon, including a level, a song, and this live-action short film. It was meant to bridge the gap between Halo 4 and Halo 5 while introducing Agent Jameson Locke, a Spartan-IV who featured heavily in Halo 5: Guardians. You can view it by purchasing a DVD or Blu-ray copy if it isn't available through on-demand services in your region.
Halo: Nightfall takes place just after the Human-Covenant war. In it, Locke and his team try to prevent the Sangheili (known to humans as Elites) from setting off a weapon (though they aren't sure exactly what kind of weapon it is). At this time, Locke was not yet a Spartan. As it turns out, it was a biological weapon that could only affect humans, so a member of their team, Randall, sacrifices himself so that Locke and another team member can escape safely.
