Halo: Nightfall - DVD

Content: In a distant future where humans have long since colonized other planets, there is a bitter war between humans and an alien alliance called The Covenant. This war has officially ended with a peace treaty, to be sure. But especially on the outer Earth colonies there are violent attacks of the Covenant again and again. Such an attack is apparently also imminent on the planet Sedra (92% human population). Agent Locke (Mike Colter) of the UNSC is supposed to thwart the attack, but cannot prevent the elite Zealot from detonating the explosive device. The element it releases damages the human DANN and sickens many of Sedra's inhabitants. To prevent an impending mass extinction, Lock must fly with Colonel Aiken (Steven Waddington) of the Sedran Army to the remote location in the Halo Ring where this element is mined. Their mission is ill-starred, as they only have a few hours to destroy Alpha Shard. This is nearly impossible given the appearance of deadly hunting worms...

Following the huge success of the internet series Halo 4: Forward unto Dawn, which was later released in feature film form, director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan was allowed to direct another series as an introduction to the next Halo game, initially released exclusively on the X-Box's Halo Channel. The series introduces the character of Agent Locke, who will play an important role in Halo 5. The opening sequence, in which he makes his first appearance, promises a thrilling sci-fi adventure. When Locke and his team track the Zealot to a high-traffic mall and a dramatic showdown ensues, it absolutely delivers both visually and in terms of pacing. And even the first few minutes on Alpha Shard offer some really good genre fodder, especially in terms of visuals.

While some parallels to other films like Pitch Black become apparent here, that hardly diminishes the enjoyment of the story. The appearance of the hunting worms (Lekgolo) is then also a great suspense highlight, which, however, also makes it clear that certain prior knowledge is already necessary in order not to be distracted by questions about a certain logic. Who dives into the Halo universe for the first time will not only wonder where these worms come from, but also how they can survive on Alpha Shard with its extreme temperatures. Those who know their way around this world, on the other hand, won't even have to ask this question. However, such moments are rather scarce, so that you can safely enjoy this film even if you approach this exciting mission completely unprepared.

In the last half hour, the action increases, but the whole thing no longer seems quite as rousing and convincing as at the beginning. The course of the mission becomes too predictable here and the already not exactly sparsely used genre clichés now take full control. This doesn't make the movie bad by far, but it does tarnish the otherwise very decent overall impression a little bit. If you don't expect a masterpiece, know a little about the Halo universe and just want to see 90 minutes of decent sci-fi entertainment, this prequel to the next videogame can be thoroughly recommended on balance!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD is very clean, image distortions or dirt are not discernible. The color scheme seems a bit undercooled at times, but this fits well with the futuristic atmosphere of the film. The sharpness is on a good level and also the contrasts underline the good overall impression. The sound is in a powerful Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, which comes up with some decent surround effects, especially in the last third. Good!

Extras: The DVD offers the inclined fan over 50 minutes of bonus material. It starts with short featurettes about the development of the plot (approx. 6:02 min.), the technique of the film (approx. 3:46 min.), the stunts (approx. 4:50 min.) and the film locations (approx. 5:40 min.). There are also other short docs about the main character Agent Locke (approx. 3:55 min.), the cast (approx. 5:49 min.), and the different worlds in Halo: Nightfall (approx. 4:55 min.). Then, in a slightly hidden sub-menu, there are a couple of Second Stories: Suspended (approx. 3:53 min.), Recon 14 (approx. 3:18 min.), At-fault Passengers (approx. 2:43 min.), Rule-Following (approx. 5:44 min.), and Unit 54 (approx. 1:17 min.).

Conclusion: Originally conceived as a web series, Halo: Nightfall proves to be absolutely solid science fiction entertainment with some good action sequences that not only fans of the successful videogames series can enjoy. However, you should know a little bit about the Halo universe to be able to keep track of every moment. Even if the suspense curve drops a bit in the last third, the whole thing is well worth seeing, not only as a transition to the next Halo game. On the DVD the film presents itself in appealing picture and sound quality. Worth seeing bonus material about the making of Halo: Nightfall is also available. For this there is then also a quite clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp