This film is really worth watching, whether you're a Halo fan or not. It provides an incredibly engaging story the likes of which I haven't seen since Pitch Black, Alien, and Storm of the Century.
Halo: Nightfall introduces a mostly new cast of characters never-before-seen in the Halo universe; yes, this means that Master Chief is not in this film. Some have claimed this is Nightfall's greatest failure; in actuality, this is Nightfall's greatest strength. By giving us entirely new characters, Nightfall calls upon the Halo universe's unique quality to show that every human can make a difference, even if you don't have the strength or fortitude of a Spartan supersoldier. This is what makes Jameson Locke such a compelling character; he is an ordinary soldier with an extraordinary ability to lead. Mike Colter does a fantastic job of conveying this sense of purpose. He plays Locke with intelligence and charisma. Steve Waddington is a tough yet endearing co-star as Colonel Aiken, and though she isn't given much to work with, Christina Chong shines in the brief moments she is allowed to, as does Luke Neal. While the other characters aren't given much development, this is forgivable considering, in Colter's own words, this was always written to be a film, not a series.
It is important to go into this film with the knowledge that it is NOT an action movie; it is a sci-fi survival-horror film with action elements. The purpose of this film is to give context to the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians (I won't say much more so as to avoid plot spoilers). This film accomplishes its purpose perfectly while providing an entertaining piece of fiction which combines the survival-horror and sci-fi of Pitch Black and Alien with the wonderfully-explored psychology of Storm of the Century (e.g. survivors turning on each other). Each character has his/her own motivations which ultimately lead to compelling tension. The result is a great film; Ridley Scott (with Sergio Mimica-Gezzan) and Halo is a match made in Halo (uh- I mean- heaven).
Overall, this is really worth checking out if you're into any of the genres I described above. I myself am a Halo fan who has played most of the games, but I watched this with several friends who aren't Halo fans (one of them has never even played a single Halo game), but they enjoyed it just as much as I did. Halo: Nightfall is definitely worth getting on Blu-ray. It comes with lots of cool special features, too. Who doesn't love those? :)
Halo: Nightfall introduces a mostly new cast of characters never-before-seen in the Halo universe; yes, this means that Master Chief is not in this film. Some have claimed this is Nightfall's greatest failure; in actuality, this is Nightfall's greatest strength. By giving us entirely new characters, Nightfall calls upon the Halo universe's unique quality to show that every human can make a difference, even if you don't have the strength or fortitude of a Spartan supersoldier. This is what makes Jameson Locke such a compelling character; he is an ordinary soldier with an extraordinary ability to lead. Mike Colter does a fantastic job of conveying this sense of purpose. He plays Locke with intelligence and charisma. Steve Waddington is a tough yet endearing co-star as Colonel Aiken, and though she isn't given much to work with, Christina Chong shines in the brief moments she is allowed to, as does Luke Neal. While the other characters aren't given much development, this is forgivable considering, in Colter's own words, this was always written to be a film, not a series.
It is important to go into this film with the knowledge that it is NOT an action movie; it is a sci-fi survival-horror film with action elements. The purpose of this film is to give context to the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians (I won't say much more so as to avoid plot spoilers). This film accomplishes its purpose perfectly while providing an entertaining piece of fiction which combines the survival-horror and sci-fi of Pitch Black and Alien with the wonderfully-explored psychology of Storm of the Century (e.g. survivors turning on each other). Each character has his/her own motivations which ultimately lead to compelling tension. The result is a great film; Ridley Scott (with Sergio Mimica-Gezzan) and Halo is a match made in Halo (uh- I mean- heaven).
Overall, this is really worth checking out if you're into any of the genres I described above. I myself am a Halo fan who has played most of the games, but I watched this with several friends who aren't Halo fans (one of them has never even played a single Halo game), but they enjoyed it just as much as I did. Halo: Nightfall is definitely worth getting on Blu-ray. It comes with lots of cool special features, too. Who doesn't love those? :)