Halo: Legends is one of those ‘is it an ad?’ compilation movies (see Batman: Gotham Knight or The Animatrix for other examples of this) which takes a popular character or mythology from one universe and hands it over to several artists to re-interpret.  Halo: Legends does at least as good a job as the aforementioned examples at extending the backstory of Master Chief and the Covenant, using some stellar animation and surprisingly mature storytelling (for the most part) to both excite existing fans and bring new ones into the fold (coincidentally right before the release of the upcoming story-driven installment of Halo called Halo: Reach). The film is split into six parts; each one a distinct short film with its own plot, while using Master Chief and the Halo universe as a common theme.

Origins (I and II) – Rendered more like a comic book than the other pieces, this two-part introduction to the origins of the Halo, the Flood, and the Covenant.  Definitely worth watching if, like me, you haven’t logged hours in the games. The art style is nicely done, though neither part has the awe of The Duel or The Package.  Hideki Futamura (Vampire Hunter D and Animatrix: The Second Renaissance)

The Duel – Possibly the most visually-inventive installment on this disc and my personal favourite, The Duel renders the early days of the Covenant as an Impressionist painting come to life. A samurai tale through and through, Mamoru Oshii (best known for The Second Renaissance segment of The Animatrix and one of my favourite animes, Perfect Blue)’s vision of the universe is truly unique, imparting a Ninja Scroll element to the universe.  In terms of story, this is probably the most layered and developed segment of the set.

Homecoming - Using a vibrantly-coloured anime style, directing team Kôichi Mashimo and Koji Sawai (possibly best known for their work on some of the dot.hack movies) bring to life a tale of battle-scarred young soldiers – both Spartans and ODST’s (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) – dealing with the anxiety of coming home for the first time since being at war. Themes of post-traumatic stress disorder and alienation are very prevalent throughout.  This pairs well with the Prototype segment, as both deal effectively with the real consequences of war.

Odd One Out – A more lighthearted take on the universe, this segment really lives up to its name by shoehorning your favourite Spartan army (uh, if you aren’t a fan of 300) into a more humourous tale about a rogue, bumbling soldier, thanks to the influence of director Daisuke “Dragonball” Nishio. If you’re a Dragonball fan, there’s a lot to like here. I feel that the Spartans look really out of place next to the Dragonball-influenced characters, though I suppose that’s a big part of the humour.  Check it out if you’re into DBZ, but personally I’m not that into that particular style of anime or slapstick-influenced humour so I’d give this one a pass.

The Babysitter – While ‘The Package’ is definitely the showpiece film from this series, I have to say that ‘The Babysitter’ is another favourite (along with the incredible ‘The Duel’ segment). This film focusses on the relationship between ODST’s and the Spartans, showing that the heavily-armoured Spartan suits may not be as ‘infallible’ as they appear. Relative newcomer Toshiyuki Kanno (who worked on the Digimon movie) uses a colourful style that shows the suits, ships, and huge monsters very well, but the high quality of the writing is the real showpiece here.

Prototype - In an interesting take on the universe, this segment is about the first version (or at least an early one) of the Spartan armour you’re familiar with. Tomoki Kyôda brings the signature art style of Evangelion to Halo, creating dark, austere battlefields and an appropriately-imposing visage of the first Spartan suit. There is a subtle but serious message here about maintaining humanity even when enrobed in technology as the Spartans are. Definitely one of the stronger segments on the disc.

The Package - Shinji Aramaki of Appleseed and Appleseed Ex Machina fame brings to life this story about Master Chief and a team of Spartans attempting to obtain a mysterious package from a Covenant battleship. If you’re at all familiar with the Appleseed movies, the look of this segment will be at once familiar and breathtaking but if not, you should definitely check out both of those films as well as this one.  Master Chief and the other Spartans suits, the ships, and the Covenant soldiers are all rendered with painstaking detail (especially if you’re watching the Blu-ray version), and the blend between traditional animation and CG is as seamless as you’re likely to find anywhere. More than any other in this package, this film feels more like the climax of a longer story arc rather than an entirely contained narrative, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  It’s about the action through and through while making no pretense of anything else.  If you like space battles with a little gunplay thrown in (and if you don’t, you’re not watching this film anyhow), this is great.

Halo: Legends is a fantastic primer to the Halo mythology, even to a Halo n00b like me. The animation across all the segments is very well done and the content varies so much that fans of the series or anime in general should be able to find something to like or even love here no matter where their tastes lie. Check it out when it drops on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday.