If viewed based on its own merits, the first season of Paramount+'s Halo series is a lot of fun with a handful of very convincing performances. There is a minor issue here and there, e.g. pacing and the narrative's disposal of seemingly important characters, but the positives outweigh the negatives within the series overall.
However, with that said, Redditors fall on the opposite side of the coin for the most part. Any deviation from the game's lore is instantly unforgivable, and any bestowed complement is typically given with a level of hesitance and met with resistance.
The Show Looks Like A Fanmade YouTube Movie
While Sergeant Johnson may be missing from the Halo show, Master Chief has shown up to shoot Needlers and hop on Banshees. One Redditor, space_thief, thinks that both he and the futuristic world surrounding him are not rendered sufficiently: "I think practical effects/CGI could work for live-action Halo, but the current show looks like a fanmade YouTube movie lol."
The downvote that accompanies the Redditor's opinion is most likely due to the latter half than the former. Like Star Wars, Halo is tailor-made for an adaptation that utilizes both prosthetics and digital effects. However, even some of the Paramount+ series' most vocal detractors admit that the special effects are a high point, and far better than a fanmade YouTube movie.
The Special Effects For Cortana Are Poor
Cortana is just one of several Halo characters who look perfect in the Paramount+ series. For the most part, fans found her presence in the show to be a high point, including how she was digitally rendered. It helped that Jen Taylor reprised the role she's held since Halo: Combat Evolved (2001).
MikeTheActorMan brought up Taylor's reprisal in his elaborate take on the show, but felt she was let down by the show's special effects: "It's great to hear her voice, but what have they done to her? She just lives in the uncanny valley."
Not Following Canon Is No Big Deal
The Halo series makes quite a few alterations both to the character of Master Chief and various members of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC). Most fans find each change to be a distraction at best, particularly when it comes to the new character of Makee.
SeconddayTV has no issue with it, however, writing, "I don't mind them not following the canon at all. I played through the games already, why would I want to watch the exact same thing again?"
Removing The Helmet Ruined Master Chief's Persona
There are fans so hung up on the game's lore that Master Chief's removal of his helmet is an unforgivable sin. However, it works for the show, since the protagonist needs to be able to visibly emote. For instance, a now-deleted user wrote that "Schreiber said a lot without saying anything when he took off his helmet. I think he definitely has a ton of potential as Chief."
However, TurtleChomps found it to be devastating to the show and, more specifically, the character: "When he took his helmet off I thought it ruined the whole persona of Master Chief...felt weak and not super soldier at all...." The Redditor wrote more, and while it's clear they're not entirely alone in their opinion of the big moment from Halo's first episode, their appraisal of its effects on the show is exaggerated.
It's Better Than The Game
The Halo show is impressively faithful to the games in terms of character armor and the weapons they carry. However, just about every Redditor thinks it doesn't stick close enough to the source material. Fewer still think it's superior to the source material, with _ryanhxc serving as an outlier by writing "It's better than the game."
TheRed_Knight, who started a thread with a massive analysis, would disagree. As they wrote when summarizing their thoughts: "This show is just an awful adaptation of Halo. It butchers the universe, the lore, and the characters, both major and minor, for no real discernible creative reason...Shoulda just let Neil Blomkamp do his thing back in 2009-10." Indeed, it would have been better to strike when the iron was hot, and with Blomkamp and Peter Jackson behind it, there's no doubt it would have been a major hit.
It's Good At All
One Redditor, baransevim, simply stated that they "thought it was good." The original poster, TheRed_Knight, replied with "Well it's not, you're more than entitled to like the show though, God knows we all have some trash we enjoy, but objectively, it's a poorly written, produced, and directed mess.
While the first Redditor's take was unpopular with the OP, the latter's comment wasn't popular, either. Reddishcarp123 quoted the word "Objectively" then wrote, "Definitely not speaking with bias at all." A show with a 70 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes can hardly be called "trash." There aren't any claims that the show is perfect, but it's also the freshman season of a big-budget video game adaptation, a subgenre that has never performed well with critics.
It's A Good 'What If?'
Thaneros2 sees Halo as an alternate universe show in the vein of Disney+'s MCU series, What If...?. That's a perfectly reasonable mind frame from which to enjoy the show, but other Redditors don't agree, downvoting the comment to negative three.
In the Reddit user's words, "I've been enjoying the series and pretty much view it as a What If...?. While the show deviates from the games and novels the payoff is they really do their homework as each episode has a bunch of references that only lore nuts would know." Spuzaw then came in with the upvoted "The Resident Evil movies also have a bunch of references to the games. That doesn't make them good."
The Show Should Have Gone With Halo 4's Armor Design
Not every Reddit user loves Silver Team's armor in Halo, and Thraggs started a thread to elaborate on what they should have done instead: "The series should have gone with Halo 4's armor design...it looks like movement is a bit stiff and cosplay-ish...Halo 4 or 5 armor has less armor which is why some fans don't like it but for a live-action series I think it'd be perfect and it would allow actors for more fluid movement."
The Redditor's point about the importance of fluid movement is valid, and fortunately, the actors didn't appear too uncomfortable when armored up throughout the first season. However, Hurtfulfriend0 was blunt in response to the OP, writing, "That is unpopular, and while it is your opinion it's also WRONG."
Natascha McElhone's Acting Is Weak
On a thread mostly devoted to attacking Halo's character development, one Redditor criticized a specific performer's work and was downvoted to a negative two. In TocTheElder's words, "The woman playing Halsey is a f***** horrible actor too. I can't take a single line delivery seriously."
The actor playing Halsey is Natascha McElhone, who gives one of Halo's best performances, even if many Redditors note that the antagonistic character's train of thought often makes little sense. McElhone was also fantastic in Ronin (1998), The Truman Show (1998), and Californication (2007-2014).
The Writing's Not Bad
One of the most frequently-cited issues by Redditors is the show's dialogue. While never particularly elaborate or impressive, it's typical for science fiction television. Even still, SnooBananas3995 got downvoted to negative three for writing "Don't know what people mean when they say bad writing."
TheRed_Knight replied, "The entire plot only happens because characters are dumber than bricks." TheTWP then brought a theory to the table, writing, "This just reinforces the idea that the show was based on a s***** sci-fi script that was fished out of a junk drawer and they just slapped Halo on the cover." Harsh, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, and many fans will find Paramount+'s series to be a pleasant diversion with some fun action.