Halo seems like the sort of property that'd already have a major motion picture under its belt. The games have been a huge success for nearly 15 years, and with Hollywood as it is today, it's surprising that films aren't already being made. For the longest time, live-action Halo projects had a hard time getting off the ground, and while there's no big-budget film just yet, smaller projects like Halo: Forward Unto Dawn have finally managed to get the ball rolling.

The next step towards Halo in Hollywood is the live-action series Halo: Nightfall. It's an ambitious project: Nightfall was designed from the beginning to act as a bridge between the Halo games and future projects. It's an interesting idea, especially since Microsoft isn't charging fans to watch the show...but just because the show is free doesn't excuse Nightfall of the mistakes that it makes. 

Halo: Nightfall follows Agent Locke, who works as a part of ONI - the Office of Naval Intelligence. The organization acts like the Halo equivalent of the CIA, and Locke is very much a stereotypical military agent: he's quiet, calm and reserved, with no room for any real emotion. There's a hint of a lighter side under all the military stoicism, but even calling it a 'hint' is being generous. Locke is extremely one-note, and while actor Mike Colter does get the job done, awkward dialogue and delivery don't help.

The rest of the cast is just as stereotypical: Locke's military team is made up of a smart-yet-distant young woman, a stubborn old colonel and the typical brash, obnoxious young man. Their acting is on-par or worse than Colter's performance; while Nightfall's cast may get stronger as the season progresses, their first impressions aren't all that great.

In terms of story, Nightfall's first episode is rather heavy on exposition. There's a lot of new material to set up, even for Halo veterans, but the show doesn't go out of its way to make things accessible for non-fans. New viewers will have no idea what an 'Elite Zealot' is or what 'Slipspace' means; the show is obviously catering towards existing fans.

The story itself isn't bad: evil aliens have found an element that randomly targets human DNA, and Locke has to figure out a way to stop it. Nightfall's major storytelling issue is how everything is presented. The show has quieter, slower moments, but will switch to long stretches of exposition-laden monologues at the drop of a hat. The explanation of how and what the deadly element is ends up being a low-point for the episode instead of the dramatic highlight, and it almost feels as if Nightfall is rushing through the episode in order to get to the good stuff. It's like Microsoft is worried that fans will bail on the series if there's no action waiting for them in the second episode.

At the very least, Nightfall ends up looking good most of the time. The show's color scheme resembles that of Halo: Forward Unto Dawn's: lots of de-saturated colors with a focus on blues and greens. It works, and the show's cinematography gives viewers plenty of time to appreciate the color palette. On top of that, most of the sets and props are practical effects. Some of the weapons do look a little larger-than-life, but everything else looks great.

The show's main visual downfalls are the CG character models and animation. When Nightfall uses computer-generated art for backdrops, vehicles or holographic displays, the special effects look great. On the other hand, the alien Elite looks stiff and doesn't move convincingly; any tension during an early fight scene evaporates quickly. Again, the effects could improve as the series continues, but as it stands, Nightfall's special effects aren't much to look at.

Halo: Nightfall's first episode may have already driven off non-fans of the franchise. Sub-par acting and presentation aren't going to do much to draw in those who aren't already familiar with the lore, and while fans may enjoy nods to the expanded universe, holes in the lore will pull them right back out of the experience. There's plenty of room for Halo: Nightfall to get better, but if the rest of the season is anything like the first episode, the series won't be remembered for very long.

OVERALL: 

★★★☆☆

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