Halo 5: Guardians Opening Cinematic

The Halo 5: Guardians Opening Cinematic trailer was released August 31, 2015, on social networks. It was initiated by a series of teaser gifs the day before on Twitter. Despite being titled as the opening cinematic, this cutscene is actually the second cutscene of the first level Osiris. The cutscene was created by Axis Animation.

Transcript

Trailer begins, zooming in to the Xbox One logo.

EXCLUSIVE

Fade in to Jameson Locke's helmet, lying on a seat inside a Pelican's troop bay.

Cut to the Microsoft Studios logo.

A rotating cylindrical holotank lowers from the ceiling. It activates, displaying several holographic photos of destruction on several human colonies.

Cut to the 343 Industries logo.

Cut to the Pelican bay. Members of Fireteam Osiris are looking at the holotank. An additional screen appears on it as Thomas Lasky begins his transmission.

• Thomas Lasky: "Fireteam Osiris. Over the last 72 hours, five colonies have experienced identical events. Massive destruction, Forerunner in origin."

Olympia Vale stands up. A 3D portrait of Catherine Halsey appears on the holotank.

• Lasky: "But Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey has managed to contact us."

Edward Buck scratches his chin.

• Lasky: "She claims to have information on these attacks."

Holly Tanaka passes an M6H magnum to Vale as she looks at the holotank. Another screen appears on it as Sarah Palmer joins in.

• Sarah Palmer: "Halsey is currently in Covenant custody on the surface of Kamchatka."

Locke stands up as the holotank shows battle plans for Kamchatka.

• Palmer: "Your mission is to insert behind enemy lines, retrieve Halsey and bring her back to Infinity."

The hologram of the Kamchatan mountain ranges disappears, and a Sangheili hologram replaces it.

• Palmer: "Be advised. Dr. Halsey is accompanied by Covenant supreme leader Jul 'Mdama. If you have the opportunity…"

• Locke: "Understood, Commander."

• Lasky: "Good luck, Spartan Locke. Infinity out."

The holotank shuts down.

• Locke: "Tracking gear online?"

Vale activates her Artemis Tracking System.

• Olympia Vale: "Affirmative."

Tanaka grabs her helmet from the overhead compartment and approaches the center of the Pelican.

• Holly Tanaka: "Say, before we make this jump, anybody want to say a few words?"

Buck stands and picks up his M45 shotgun, holstering it on his back.

• Edward Buck: "I figure if God can hear how scared I am, so can everyone else. Locke, you buying the first drink when we're done?"

• Locke: "You ask, you buy. Fireteam Osiris, the light is green."

Locke turns around and opens the troop bay door. Vale and Tanaka put on their helmets and jump. Buck smiles and passes Locke his helmet before putting on his own helmet and jumping off the Pelican. Locke puts on his helmet, turns around, and jumps. He joins the others in the sky. Cut to black:

Open to the four Spartans in free fall. Covenant starships are massed beneath, engaged in battle. The Spartans zoom through the fleet, passing enormous blockade runners and aiming for the mountain range below.

• Locke (COM): "Comms check."

Tanaka crashes into a Banshee, which explodes near Buck. He narrowly dodges the explosion while Tanaka's energy shields flicker and recharge.

• Tanaka (COM): "Comms working fine, Locke."

• Locke (COM): "Copy that, Tanaka."

A Forerunner mountain platform is shot down and shatters.

• Buck (COM): "Spartan Buck online and ready."

• Vale (COM): "Spartan Vale online!"

The Spartans pass the crashed ship, "flying" close along the mountain slope. Thrusters on their suits control their fall.

• Locke (COM): "Weapons free!"

The Spartans orient themselves feet first to land.

• Buck (COM): "Contact!"

The Spartans tuck and roll upon hitting the ground, propelling their freefall momentum forward. They rush down a mountain slope into a snowy valley filled with Covenant infantry and vehicles.

Buck and Vale fire into a Sangheili Zealot and Unggoy Storm with their shotgun and assault rifle, while Locke leaps ahead and ground pounds a Wraith and two more Zealots, overturning it and stunning the Elites. Buck and Vale finish them off while Locke lands and takes out a Grunt with a Needler.

Buck and Tanaka leap into the air and perform two ground pounds, blasting away more Covenant. Tanaka shoulder-bashes an Elite and Jackal, smashing them both through a boulder which shatters on impact.

Locke shoots away a Jackal while Tanaka fires her SMG, jumping onto and over a Wraith. Her teammates join her in picking off Covenant, some chasing them in floating vehicles. A Phantom floats ahead of them and fires at the Spartans with its chin mounted turret. Flying low to the ground, it scrapes a hill, and Vale uses its momentary confusion to leap onto its open bay doors and rush inside.

Vale knocks two Jackals aside and charges at a Zealot and a Warrior. Both swing their energy swords at her, but she jumps onto the Zealot's arm and forces its blow into the Warrior, damaging its shields and briefly stunning it. The Zealot is then pushed into the Warrior as Vale turns to face the Jackals. Vale punches one Jackal in the face and shoots another with her pistol. She kneels to make the charging Zealot trip over her, then stands up to fire her pistol repeatedly into the Warrior's chest. She then kicks it and a Jackal out the Phantom, the latter screaming as it falls.

The two hit the ground, Buck running over them as he takes out a Grunt and a Sangheili with two shotguns blasts. Locke keeps pace to his right, and they leap off a cliff into the Covenant below. Buck ground pounds a lance of infantry, and Tanaka grabs a Grunt by the face while firing her assault rifle at a Jackal. A Grunt with a needler lunges at her, but Tanaka catches it, throws it behind her, and shoots it away.

Promethean constructs can be seen fighting the Covenant now. Ghosts rush past firing at Soldiers and Knights, while Phaetons battle the Phantoms overhead. Locke leaps over a pair of Ghosts and pulls the driver out of one of them.

A Phantom, the one carrying Vale, flies low and crashes into a Phaeton, wrecking both vehicles and killing the remaining Zealot onboard. Vale jumps out and uses her SMG to finish off a Soldier. It disintegrates into orange and grey ash.

• Vale (COM): "Heads up!"

The four turn to face behind them, seeing one of the Covenant blockade runners crashing at the peak of the valley they're in. It hits the ground and begins sliding toward them, bringing an avalanche with it.

The Spartans turn and run from the incoming starship, Vale picking off a Jackal and Buck finishing off a Soldier and Zealot. They run down the increasingly steep slope as fast as they can, but the crashing ship is coming closer.

Locke runs onto an outcropping of rock above the team, then jumps down to rejoin them as they reach a small area of level ground that ends at a sheer cliff. Fireteam Osiris assembles and leaps off the cliff with the burning wreck behind them.

Cut to Xbox logo.

• Voiceover: "Get the Xbox One Limited Edition Bundle."

Trivia

In the trailer, during Vale's fight aboard a Phantom, her shooting a Sangheili Warrior is censored by zooming in so her shots are offscreen. In the final version of the game, Vale attacking him is fully visible.