Hail To The Master Chief

Computer game adaptations are just plain bad. We're sorry but it's true. However, if any one game were to break this mould and transcend the pixel/motion picture barrier then our money would be on Halo. One of the most successful games of all time, Halo and its sequel took action gaming to new levels with an appealing central character, an involving interstellar plot and movie-quality orchestral score. They've also made enough money to buy several small countries. With such impressive credentials, the potential for a kick-ass space adventure is reasonably high, and all the more so when you factor in the screenwriter they've just drafted. The Beach author Alex Garland is the man for the job and his very involvement has raised expectations tenfold. Not only is he responsible for the aforementioned hugely bestselling book (which spawned the hugely disappointing movie - but that wasn't his fault) but he also penned the screenplay for Danny Boyle's genre-redefining zombiefest 28 Days Later (starring Naomie Harris). It's unclear whether the film will follow the events of the first game, the first and second, or indeed a new story entirely but we're pretty excited about it. The basic Halo premise sees an intergalactic war between the forces of Earth and an alien coalition called the Covenant. In the aftermath of a particularly nasty battle, an Earth ship crash lands on Halo - a ringworld considered sacred to the Covenant - and a genetically modified Spartan super soldier, known only as Master Chief, must lead our boys to victory. We won't spoil the rest of the story but it involves a lethal biogenic weapon, huge land and air battles and the potential destruction of all life in the universe. Which is never good.