Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

xsamir After Forward Unto Dawn I have so much hope for this series. When the series came out it was a sh***. I love scifi but this Halo series was unbearable to watch. Even Killjoys the series that I don't think much of it, is a class for it self compared to Nightfall. I'm ashamed to call this part of a Halo universe.

kevinxirau Halo. Ever since it came out, it has engaged audiences around the world with not only its addictive gameplay, but also with its exciting story, lovable characters, and expansive universe. Attempts at a big screen live-action movie have been tried but are so far halted and rightfully so given that film adaptations of games generally have a poor track record. In the mean time, we've had a few small screen films/series to keep us entertained. "Halo Legends" was a superb film composed of different action-packed anime-styled shorts that expanded on the lore of Halo. "Forward Unto Dawn" had a laid-back tone that might bore some people were it not for both decent character development, nicely-done effects, and some really great action in the last quarter. Then along comes "Nightfall", which had potential considering Ridley Scott's role in making it, but BOY did it become the first official dud on the cinematic part of the franchise. Why? Well, you'll see since the spoiler warning is warranted.Plot: On the planet of Sedra, an Elite terrorist sets off a device that kills several civilians. The device is powered by a newly discovered element, which Agent Locke and his team have traced back to one of the remains of the first Halo ring, now orbiting dangerously close to a sun. With some assistance from a few local Sedrans, including former SPARTAN Aiken, the team lands on the Halo fragment to destroy the deposit of the new element. However, things quickly go wrong when swarms of Lekgolo/Hunter worms attack and damage their ship, attracted by the energy signature of their equipment. With only hours left before the deadly heat of the sun comes up and the Hunter swarms closing in on them, the members of the Locke's group will be forced to make some difficult choices.This web series had potential. The initial set-up is intriguing and the effects and social commentary are pretty good. I especially love how menacing the Hunter worms were. Having played the games, I've seen first-hand how tough the Hunters can be but to see them swarm like this and even going as far as to try and trick the soldiers by appearing as one of them in the distance was a genuine surprise and made them scary. We also get the pleasure of seeing a member of an all-new alien race called Yonhets, humanoids with gill-like structures on their heads. Agent Locke, a playable character in Halo 5, is introduced in this series and we see who he was before his hunt for Master Chief. These are the only few positives I have found in this otherwise piece of crap.After the first two fifths of this show, it all goes downhill from here. Most of the characters are just boring, even the ones the audience is supposed to care for. They express very little emotion beyond brooding, desperation, and later insanity, which I get given the grim situation but they were pretty much like this even before the freakin' mission. It was blatantly obvious would was gonna betray one another, who gets to die, and who gets to live. I especially hate this one guy named Michael Horrigan, who was a complete arrogant @$$hole right from the start, caring little about anyone and stabbing everyone in the back. He becomes so infuriating that I'm glad he becomes Hunter chow. Locke and Aiken are the most tolerable characters and yet, despite being introduced to them, we still know little about them (ex. why did Aiken quit the SPARTAN program?). "Forward Unto Dawn" at least showed where Lasky came from and developed his character.Despite the initial swagger of effects and a chase scene on Sedra, most of that is traded for dull landscapes and green screen effects once the mission on the Halo fragment starts. Ridley Scott usually knows how to bring a sense of isolation while still enthralling us with the look of his desert-canyon environments in films like "Alien" and "Prometheus", but here the environments did little to impress. For a franchise that markets itself primarily on action, very little action actually happens in this series. Barely a few shots were fired at the Hunter worms, even at the climax where the crazy people naturally should be fighting them. "Forward Unto Dawn" had a much lower budget and yet it still delivered some great action scenes, but "Nightfall" was so much more interested in being a survival story that it might as well not be connected to Halo. There's not even a climactic fight scene between Locke/Aiken and Michael, clichéd as it would been, but it would still show some action going on in this bore-fest. $10,000,000 and this is what we get? Forget this! Also, the soundtrack is completely forgettable.Where did Ridley Scott go wrong? Not doing the Halo franchise any justice, that's what. A good start to the story, creepy aliens, and some nice designs were hampered by wasted effects, dull characters, predictable plot points, no memorable music, and overall boring tone. Even non-fans will find this piece of crap a bad series overall. Don't give "Nightfall" a second thought and just pass up on this. You will be spared 90 minutes of your life.

Derek Childs (totalovrdose) When attempting to watch Nightfall on the Halo Channel, which came equipped with The Master Chief Collection, I was unable to, the Channel experiencing, much like the game, one of many intolerable issues. Awaiting with much anticipation, I purchased Nightfall on BluRay, the question that is perhaps on reader's lips being: should I do the same? I won't respond to this, but after reading this review, maybe, dear reader, you will generate an answer of your own.Locke (Mike Colter - who is quite possibly the single most handsome man alive), alongside his team, is operating on Sedra, an isolated backwater on the fringes of space, though this is just a smokescreen. Much like Williams on Horizon in Mass-Effect 2, Locke, an ONI Lieutenant, is spreading his employer's technological influence.Tracking a smuggler across the planet, he and his team encounter a Covenant threat, one they are unable to suppress, a massive biological attack crippling the city. Investigating the alien technology which brought ruin upon them all, it's origins are uncovered: Alpha Halo, or, more aptly, a piece of the installation, destroyed by Master Chief. If Locke, his team, and members of the Sedran military want to stopper this threat, they are going to have to go to hell to do it - little do they realize, the real threat to their survival, has been with them all along.Similar, occasionally, to Prometheus, Aliens and Red Planet, most of Nightfall takes place on the desolated ruin of Alpha, which is far from attractive. Though the opening of the feature shows lush, fertile wilderness on Sedra, Alpha is a distinct, unappealing contrast. Ridley Scott's influence as executive producer is visible in the camera work, the atmosphere, and the creepy imagery associated with the Covenant threat the joint ONI-Sedran team encounter. The effects are amazing, despite never been as grand as massive Hollywood productions, though it would have been superb to experience more, especially in the scenes when the team is being savagely attacked, the uniqueness of the alien menace being riveting, and the decision to inhibit it in the background is quite insulting.Although Nightfall is designed to tell Locke's back-story, the series is narrated from the point-of-view of Aiken (Steven Waddington). We are, much like Aiken, on the outside looking in, and never do we truly comprehend the mystery that is Jameson Locke. Unlike Lasky in Forward Unto Dawn (FUD), whose family, friends and character were effectively delivered on screen, Locke remains very much an unknown quantity. Aiken too receives little depth, an issue that all characters in the series equally suffer. It's revealed that Aiken was once a Spartan, but it's never postulated why he left, though a visual representation plausibly hints an answer.Honor, respect, sacrifice and the Godlike power of taking life are major themes explored in the series, Aiken and Locke exhibiting a willingness to do what must be done. At the same time though, the series conveys how fear and hostility can tear through the bonds of even the most loyal comrades, as everything goes terribly wrong. Nightfall efficiently blends together contemporary issues, likening the story to the world dynamics of today. ONI is representative of America: a massively powerful, dominating influence upon everyone else. Sedrans are much like America's allies: they receive guidance and protection, but are never given the same respect as ONI gives to its own people. The smugglers, who are later encountered, are similar to Middle-Eastern extremists (and not just because of their ethnicity), with their lackluster technology and oppression faced at the hands of ONI.Although the opening of the series is positively brilliant, and easily captures the viewer's attention, the slower pace that begins to ensue, could be likened to a driver suddenly putting on the brakes for a majority of the feature, despite the well articulated suspense. A feeling of clichéd predictability begins to creep into the later portions of the series, while at the same time, action scenes are short lived, and many confrontations appear to be more verbal, than physical.Nightfall is a decent stand alone feature, however, much like Battlestar Galactica Blood & Chrome, the Halo universe could have kept on spinning without its induction.

Nicolas Verhoeven I have to say, I have been praying for years to everything I can think of to get a Halo film or Halo series started and now we have one - and it is a massive disappointment with minor bright spots.The Plot - The story to this series is pretty weak. I mean, it isn't terrible, but I find myself yawning and looking for other things to do when watching each episode (I haven't watched the latest one, I just can't be bothered). It is relatively predictable, and that isn't a bad thing necessarily, but here it makes it pretty boring to watch.The Presentation - (Mini-Spoiler) Okay, the show starts off with a bang; immediately throwing you in the midst of elites trying to sabotage a city. Sounds good, no? No. There is no easing into a pretty poor story, there is no character development of any sort, and because of these two points, you just can't seem to give a.. you get the point. The beauty of the Halo world is completely marginalized and presented shallow. Honestly, it is insulting. Acting - LOL. The acting or dialogue or directing given to the actors is on the cusp of bad and mediocre. It isn't engaging, but that could be because there is no background story, no character development, and you barely even feel you are watching Halo. If you tie all those points together, you could have Johnny Depp acting and it wouldn't make a difference. Overall, this series is insulting. Admittedly, they spent a good deal of time and money on the gear and the vehicles and all that jazz, which looks authentic and freakin' awesome, but apart from that bright spot which is always done correctly... this is not Halo. This is not the beauty of the Halo world as described in the books and games. Let me put it this way... if I had a friend who had never heard of Halo, I would steer clear of this series as it simply is not even in the same realm. Supremely disappointed. Whoever is in charge needs to take their time, spend money where money needs to be spent, consult correctly, get better actors (not A+++ actors, just better), and NEEDS to understand the beauty of the Halo world. Stop butchering this; it makes me, as a long time fan, irritated.