'Oh My God, I Hate the Spartan Laser!'

After all the accolades that rained down on Halo 3's "Believe" campaign this past awards season, the last thing I wanted to see was yet another monument to the game's mystique. But this spoof about a homicide detective investigating a dead rookie Team Slayer makes "Believe" seem fresh again.

Once again, Halo's universe is brought into the real world. But the quiet sense of awe that surrounded mentions of Masterchief is earnestly mocked, and the reenactment of the rookie's death is priceless. Both a mimicry and a tribute, the piece totally cracks through "Believe's" sobriety.

Fantasy meets the ground-floor cynic.

It reminded me of something my high school boyfriend said the first time we watched LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring. I got all blushy and sweaty every time Legolas appeared; finally, he turned to me and snarled, "If that elf-looking dude was actually walking down the street, he'd get his ass kicked on principle."