![]() The scenes that do stand out the most from a visual standpoint are those that takes place on the Condor craft or inside the Sedran base - scenes that feature plenty of holographic displays and allow light to seep into this otherwise dark world. Colors are mainly limited to muted tones of blue, green, and grey. Nightfall isn't the best visual showcase anyway, given that so much of the film takes place in the dark, drab landscape of Alpha Shard. The increased resolution of the Blu-ray format only exacerbates this problem. Covenant creatures (whether it's the Elite Zealot in the opening scenes or the Hunter Worms in various others) tend to stand out from their environments. That said, the more CG-driven special effects don't always fare so well. You have to admire the effort that went into recreating the familiar armor, weapon, and tech designs of the games in a way that doesn't merely come across as bad cosplay. Visually, Nightfall is around the caliber of a SyFy TV movie. It plays out more like a weak imitation of Pitch Black and Scott's own Alien. And with the lack of resolution surrounding the terrorist plot and its implications for this universe, Nightfall wraps up on an unfulfilling note. But as mentioned, the inability to invest in most of the characters diminishes the drama and tension. This approach has its merits, especially in how the filmmakers put the iconic Hunter Worms to good use as an unstoppable, technology-devouring adversary. However, the movie shifts gears once the characters set foot on Alpha Shard and becomes more of a survival horror tale. Early on, the characters contend with a Covenant plot that potentially spells grave danger for humanity. The plot driving Nightfall also has its issues. If anything, he's the character around which this project should have been framed. Sadly, the film never delves deep enough into Aiken's past. Aiken has an intriguing back-story, as it's revealed early on he was a member of the SPARTAN-II program before somehow being granted permission to leave and start a more normal life on Sedra. Waddington brings a rugged gravitas to the role, playing Aiken as a weary man beaten down by loss but bolstered by his belief in honor, sacrifice, and the promise of Valhalla. The lone bright spot in terms of acting and characterization is Aiken. Colter's performance is wooden, though to be fair he's not given a great deal to work with. For all that the cast and crew extol the character's virtues and importance to the Halo mythology in the various bonus features, Locke is a pretty straightforward and unremarkable fellow. Locke himself is a disappointingly dull character. Locke's crew are little more than generic military grunts, which makes it difficult to care about their fates as these characters begin succumbing to the dangers on Alpha Shard. Chief among them is that most of the characters fail to leave an impression. It's a solid premise for a Halo storyline, but one that doesn't coalesce for a number of reasons. Locke and his men are forced to align themselves with the Sedran Colonial Guard including Commander Randall Aiken (Steven Waddington) and Private Talitha Macer (Christina Chong) as their investigation takes them to the smoldering ruins of the Alpha Halo station. Locke appears here as a leader of a small ONI squad who fail to stop a Covenant terrorist attack on the remote colony world of Sedra. Much as Forward Unto Dawn introduced the character Thomas Lasky ahead of his video game debut, Nightfall acquaints viewers with ONI Agent Jameson Locke (played by Mike Colter) prior to his appearance in Halo 5. The impact of that change is minimal, as there are no extra scenes inserted and the transitions between episodes are still pretty noticeable.Įssentially, Nightfall serves as a prequel to the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians. ![]() The only difference between the original web series and this Blu-ray cut is that the five episodes have been edited together into one continuous film. Feel free to check those out if you missed them: I'll stick to a general, spoiler-free review of the core Nightfall film, as I've already tackled in-depth reviews of the individual web episodes.
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