Underrated Montage of the Week #10 - illcomposed

Gameplay by: Rhis and KayEmX

Edited by: GTS

Date of Original Release: 5/5/2011

Current View Count: 12,145

Prior to the Halo 2 Vista montage "b2p", I had no idea who GTS was, and after the Halo 2 Vista montage "b2p", I was left wondering how I didn't know who GTS was before and when his next project would come out. Similar to "b2p", this montage's editing impresses on every level, and this review won't be very long because there isn't much to say about this montage besides, "Holy fuck, this video is amazing."

Gameplay: The gameplay is great, showcasing no lackluster clips and a good amount of incredible, memorable ones like the BXRRX-RRX killtacular from under pressure on Midship, the stick from atop big tower on Ascension, and the finale stick on Beaver Creek. In terms of diversity it is lacking a bit, falling on the mono-MLG maps side like many other Halo 2 montages (Warlock, Midship, Lockout), but it does have stuff like Ascension and the less common (not Lockout or Midship) MLG maps like Beaver Creek.

Editing: Well, where do I start... First of all, the syncing, the most important aspect of editing, is fantastic, and as a result, the flow is simply phenomenal. Moving past the basics, the editing is simply oozing with a boatload of creative, well-applied effects that add even more to the flow of the video while being incredibly pleasing on an aesthetic level. Like I said in the video description, the transition with the flag is one of the sickest transitions I have ever seen in a Halo video, and the many, many effects GTS added to emphasize sync points were all spot on. On top of that, the color correction is simply perfect. Since the dawn of time, editors have been throwing on random, ugly color correction where it doesn't belong, and this video is certainly not the case. The colors GTS uses add an incredible amount of flair to the video, and they go perfectly with the wonderful, original soundtrack, another important strong point of this video. GTS elevates the editing in this video to an artform, and the eye-candy (effects that aren't necessary but are merely there for visual enjoyment) is amazing. All of it is masterfully done, including the recycled concepts like added in medals, and almost all of it is new and innovative. Clip placement was also great; the triple kill no scope on Beaver Creek is a fine clip, and the stick at the end, which is also on Beaver Creek, is simply ridiculous. Lastly, I want to point out that the cinematography in this video is also incredible, a feat that is magnified by the fact that this was a Halo video. The editing in this is pretty close to perfect and is easily in my top 5 examples of Halo montage editing of all time.

Flaws:

- Too short

- Adding in medals have been done to death, and I actually felt that the medals didn't have to be in the video despite how nice they looked.

Like with GaryUK's "Rush", this was released way after Halo 2's era, and as a result, it got little to no attention. And unlike "Rush", this video wasn't even featured by the Bungie Blog. At 12,000 views, this video is criminally underviewed, and with its great gameplay, unique soundtrack, and stellar editing, you simply HAVE to check it out if you haven't already.

Previous Underrated Montage of the Week: TheFuntageCrew's Halo 3 Community Funtage 6