Halo: Nightfall isn’t a half-bad series with decent performances, though the visual effects, some anyway, look to be a step below something you’d seen in a SyFy Original Movie. I’m not big into games so I can’t compare this to any of the “Halo” games but on its own, it’s at least enjoyable if not throwaway entertainment.
Halo: Nightfall
(2014)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
Microsoft Studios | TV14 – 98 min. – $24.99 | March 17, 2015
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan Writer(s): Paul T. Scheuring (written by) Cast: Mike Colter, Steven Waddington, Christina Chong, Christian Contereras, Luke Neal, Alexander Bhat, Jennie Gruner DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 7.1), Dutch (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) |
** Click Here to Purchase Halo: Nightfall on Blu-ray from Amazon.com **
THE MOVIE
Halo: Nightfall tells the personal story of Jameson Locke (MIKE COLTER), a legendary manhunter and agent with the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), Earth’s most powerful and secretive military branch. He and his team are investigating terrorist “chatter” on the distant colony world of Sedra, when they are caught in a horrific biological attack.
Led by Locke, ONI agents are forced to coordinate with Randall Aiken (STEVEN WADDINGTON), a local commander with a remarkable history and deep-rooted mistrust of ONI. As they unravel a plot that draws them in an ancient, hellish artifact, they will be forced to fight for their survival, question everything, and ultimately choose between their loyalties and their lives.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5
Beyond the Game: Expanding the Halo Universe (3:51; HD) is a short featurette containing interviews with filmmakers on the world introduced in this show/movie.
Canon Fire: Developing the Story of Halo: Nightfall (6:16; HD) looks at the plot and the main characters, one who will appear in future endeavors.
Old Dogs & New Tricks – The Tech of Halo: Nightfall (3:55; HD) covers the weapons and ships and other tools for our heroes to use.
Try to Keep Up – The Stuns of Halo: Nightfall (4:57; HD) provides some BTS footage on the stunt work utilized.
Return of the Ring – Locations of Halo: Nightfall (5:54; HD) examines the filming locales that would double for the otherworld the film takes place in and on.
Heroes Evolved – Introducing Locke (4:04; HD) is a profile of the main character played by Mike Colter.
Character Building – The Cast of Halo: Nightfall (6:03; HD) introduces us to the other cast members.
New Horizons – Forging the Worlds of Halo: Nightfall (5:07; HD) looks at the setting of the movie.
Second Stories (TRT 46:33; HD) is a selection of additional footage/storylines:
- The Path of Belief (4:17)
- Exposure (4:00)
- Recon 14 (3:26)
- Walk the Path (1:53)
- Unit-54 (1:20)
- Soldier Within (3:15)
- Outbound Cargo: Part 1 (2:06)
- Outbound Cargo: Part 2 (1:29)
- Rhoen Border Security (3:06)
- Indebted Travelers (2:53)
- Cooperative Protocol (4:03)
- Quartermaster (1:38)
- Seed of Honor (2:41)
- Compliance (5:58)
- Trade Barriers (4:28)
VIDEO – 4.5/5
Halo: Nightfall lands onto Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec) and a 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture offers sharp detail levels throughout though because the bulk of the movie either takes place at night or at least is darkly lit, colors tend to be muted (not that the ONI suits are bright anyway). Contrast looks good and there were no obvious signs of banding, aliasing or pixilation.
AUDIO – 4.5/5
Surprisingly, this release receives a 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio track and even though it’s not quite as dynamic compared with other films with 7 channels, it’s still a nice sounding film providing clear dialogue and some decent depth for the action scenes as well as ambient noises through the rear speakers.
OVERALL – 3.5/5
Overall, Halo: Nightfall isn’t a half-bad series with decent performances, though the visual effects, some anyway, look to be a step below something you’d seen in a SyFy Original Movie. I’m not big into games so I can’t compare this to any of the “Halo” games but on its own, it’s at least enjoyable if not throwaway entertainment. The Blu-ray offers great video and audio transfers and a fair selection of bonus material.
Published: 03/16/2015
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.