Why All The Hate?

forward unto dawn was terrible (except once the invasion starts happening), but that doesn't mean this is good either. I would say it is better than fud, but so much of the story is cliched and the acting is terrible. Add the fact you don't really get any Halo esque battles, there isn't really much there for even Halo fans. I don't think it is so bad I would tell people not to watch it, but it's not something I would go out of my way to recommend either.

I have been wondering the same thing. Nightfall is by no means a picture of perfection, but I found it to be a very entertaining film. Personally, I thought the acting was quite good, especially from Mike Colter and Steven Waddington- they both have some great nuance that makes you believe that these are real people in a vast universe.
Now, Nightfall does have its problems, but so do most movies. Many people didn't like the fact that the film was focused solely on characters and story, but I found it a refreshingly new view of the same Halo universe from the games and novels.

I will also say that it is much better viewed as a film rather than a series.

And one more thing: for anyone who has watched it, humor me: watch it again. I was also disappointed in Nightfall the first time I watched it, but when I watched it a second time knowing it's not an action film, I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated it for what it is- another entertaining live-action slice of Halo.

I actually really enjoyed watching Nightfall as a film. Possibly because I went in with low expectations after reading some of the hate mail on here.
I know the franchise name is in the title and for a lot of people it didn't do enough to earn the Halo tag but you did have a good injection of halo beyond Master Chief.
For me it felt like very familiar to Pitch Black.