The "human-killing weapon" is set up to be and could have been part of an interesting twist of some sort, but its sole purpose is to get the characters to the main setting of the plot.
The Halo fragment itself is interesting only in that it was once part of a Halo. There's not even Scenery Porn inherent to the Installations; just rocks, rocks, and more rocks. It could have taken place on the planet Rock in the Stone System of the Boulder Galaxy and it would have made no difference to the plot.
Randall used to be a Spartan-II, like Master Chief!... and that's it. Him being a former Spartan doesn't affect the plot at all. It's just bait on the hook trying to keep you watching, desperately trying to get you to feel interested in the character.
The Ring is infested with Lekgolo worms, which could mean at the very least some interesting usage of their ability to combine into forms or something. Instead they just wriggle and fly (Why? How?) around chasing and eating characters.
I'll admit something: I only got to Episode 3. I feel a bit of shame expressing my opinion of something I didn't complete, as it's usually a principle of mine that one should finish something before judging its entirety, but I couldn't keep going, because the cardinal sin of this is it's boring. Maybe I could forgive the terrible design of the new alien species, the bad and obvious CGI of the Elite Zealot and Lekgolo swarms, the cheesy dialogue, etc. if it had something going for it, but it did not.
What's worse is that the whole point of Nightfall was basically the same as Forward Unto Dawn: introduce and characterize a new character. But Forward Unto Dawn had engaging buildup, a gripping climax, characters you could relate to. It made you want to see the next episode, because it was interesting. But after giving Nightfall three increasingly-generous chances to grab me, it struck out, and I doubt I'll ever care to watch the last two.
Tl;dr: A bunch of boring characters scamper across boring rocks chased by boring enemies for some boring reason. The Wiki summary is probably more engaging, go check that out. Or not, it's probably boring too.
Film Like Watching Grass Grow, Except There Was None. Just Rocks.
In a brief summary, disappointing. Not engaging. Absolutely boring.
The worst crime of Nightfall is the prevalence of the They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot trope:
I'll admit something: I only got to Episode 3. I feel a bit of shame expressing my opinion of something I didn't complete, as it's usually a principle of mine that one should finish something before judging its entirety, but I couldn't keep going, because the cardinal sin of this is it's boring. Maybe I could forgive the terrible design of the new alien species, the bad and obvious CGI of the Elite Zealot and Lekgolo swarms, the cheesy dialogue, etc. if it had something going for it, but it did not.
What's worse is that the whole point of Nightfall was basically the same as Forward Unto Dawn: introduce and characterize a new character. But Forward Unto Dawn had engaging buildup, a gripping climax, characters you could relate to. It made you want to see the next episode, because it was interesting. But after giving Nightfall three increasingly-generous chances to grab me, it struck out, and I doubt I'll ever care to watch the last two.
Tl;dr: A bunch of boring characters scamper across boring rocks chased by boring enemies for some boring reason. The Wiki summary is probably more engaging, go check that out. Or not, it's probably boring too.