Nightflyers

:

Season 1
  • Network: SyFy
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 2, 2018
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 78 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 78
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 78
  3. Negative: 28 out of 78
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User Reviews

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  1. EerieDemonble
    Dec 28, 2018
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This could've been a great sci-fi thriller. But all those unnecessary and sometimes stupid sub-plots is what killed it for me. They had one great premise - dangerous and unstable psyker is the only hope for humanity, this alone was enough for this show.
    Instead we got ship full of crazy lunatics that (for some reason) was considered good, reliable choices for THE most important mission in human history, and we got even more crazy AI controling the ship without any backup/failsafe system. Yup, sounds logical to me.
    And don't get me started on aliens using dead relatives to communicate.
    TL;DR Great idea buried under bad writing.    … Expand
  2. mortosivax
    Dec 16, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I understand the mixed reviews... Some episodes was really bad. Laughably so. While maybe the series as its whole and the underlying concept of whats really going on is actually quite fantastic...

    The bad in this series isnt the actors or the setting or that it will bore you. The bad in this one is the plot.
    Maybe not the grand scheme of things but the obvious bullcrap thet gets TO MUCH at times..
    "Hey lets take a ghost infested space ship, load an unstable psychic on it, drive into the unknown void of dangerous energy and make contact with aliens that has been avoiding us for centuries." WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? and then there is like 10 equally obvious and predictable sideplots following that mess trough. Its still entertaining i guess just dont expect to be surprised or scared or anything.    … Expand
  3. Fred12
    Feb 2, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is one of the most unlogic and most foreseeable "horror" series I watched until now. Well to be honest, almost all horror movies are artificial, but this is a especially construed series, where - seriously - they embarked a psychopathic telepath onboard their billion $ space station who is able to manipulate feelings and thinkings of the crew members at will. Nonetheless, they are going on a trip to obviously meet aliens and make the first contact with probably that psychopath (I couldn't go on watching this cra* more than 2 episodes, so I am not sure what they finally want to do as nothing is getting explained whatsoever).

    In every episode, you can see **** happening to the crew, like a crew member commiting suicide due to influence to that telepath, and know what? Everything goes on just as usual as if that would be the most usual thing in the world. They not even think of getting rid of him and apperently the crew doctor is defending this special "kind" as if she was his mother. The whole thing becomes even more unlogical, as the complete technological gadgets and stuff are apperently made so "safe" to be sure that a crew member is being killed when using them (example: A crew member who is relaxing in an oxigen tank surrounded by water and an oxigen mask is suffocating after a "failure" of oxygen, and is not able to open the tank from the inside - yeah of course ;) )

    This complete unlogical stuff is obviously made up to keep the suspension up but it just gets annoying because its so thrown in your face and obvious **** that it hurts. I recommend reading a book about cooking radishes or couscous because that is more exciting after all...    … Expand
  4. OliveOil
    Dec 10, 2018
    9
    This show is great! I am surprised at all the negative reviews - I’m through 6 episodes and I find that what others label “stiff acting” is really a realistically written script of how an ensemble of somewhat broken people only slowly warm up to each other. The characters’ subtext and emotional complexity may be difficult to swallow for those used to being spoon-fed the usualThis show is great! I am surprised at all the negative reviews - I’m through 6 episodes and I find that what others label “stiff acting” is really a realistically written script of how an ensemble of somewhat broken people only slowly warm up to each other. The characters’ subtext and emotional complexity may be difficult to swallow for those used to being spoon-fed the usual less-challenging Syfy offering but I find these characters and their struggle extremely compelling and I wish there were more like this. Nuanced characters, the intelligence of a George R.R. plot, and the melding of classic horror with Nostromo-esque sci-fi make this totally enjoyable and I hope we get more shows willing to swim upstream a little like this one does. If you feel slightly insulted by what you usually get on this network, this show is for you.… Expand
  5. Nobilis1984
    Dec 27, 2018
    3
    Explanation: The series is based on a 4 hour audio book/book.
    That's why you can't expect much. I'm halfway through half of this and it's just mediocre.
    That you really make a series out of it amazes me.
    Therefore you can really save this series
  6. thebaggins
    Feb 1, 2019
    3
    How did they fit so many stupid people on that ship? Budget looks good. Actors are doing an ok job, but this crap is so unbelievable it's impossible to watch.
  7. Elthor
    Dec 15, 2018
    3
    A series is fundamentally flawed when you know more about the plot from the two sentence plot summary on Imdb for the 1987 film (or the blurb on the back cover of the book) than in the first 3 episodes.
    Glacial.
    Edit: Having seen the whole season, I want my time back.
  8. demarkle77
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    I found it to be a lot of fun! Spider Bot rules! The first 3 episodes are just the beginning -- once you get deeper into the series the concepts and characters really take off. The show is compelling and there's some of the most mind bending effects at play. Don't be discouraged by whiny Sci-Fi purists who don't know how to enjoy themselves! Give it a shot (at least through first 5 eps)I found it to be a lot of fun! Spider Bot rules! The first 3 episodes are just the beginning -- once you get deeper into the series the concepts and characters really take off. The show is compelling and there's some of the most mind bending effects at play. Don't be discouraged by whiny Sci-Fi purists who don't know how to enjoy themselves! Give it a shot (at least through first 5 eps) and then decide for yourself!… Expand
  9. Existentialman
    Dec 3, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not sure why there are all these negative "professional" reviews. This show clearly needs multiple episodes to establish its story. The same was true of that other George R. R. Martin show. What was it? Oh yeah, Game of Thrones. https://winteriscoming.net/2017/04/27/this-is-fun-a-sampling-of-bad-reviews-game-of-thrones-received-in-the-beginning-shell/

    (Spoiler Alert, if you're on the fence a few spoilers may get you to tune in.)

    As far as my own review, there are a lot of great concepts already set up. The telepath, the inevitability of a tragic end to the story and the mortality of any character you may like, (again much like Game of Thrones), the father addicted to a holographic version of his daughter. I definitely want to see where this is heading. I also like how the space ship is both vast and claustrophobic. George R. R. Martin himself tells you exactly what he was going for Sci-Fi Horror. Sounds exciting to me.    … Expand
  10. Bradfordro
    Dec 18, 2018
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's so boring and not very well written. Let me explain.

    The 1st episode starts off great but then it goes downhill by giving you the elution to the fact that every character has been killed and then without warning or any info they will throw you right into the past in order for you to have a connection with these characters who will all be dead at the end of the show or season.    … Expand
  11. amrrahmy
    Dec 5, 2018
    0
    The original story might have been great with overarching themes and filled with internal struggles, but this adaptation fails on every level to deliver any semblance of competent storytelling. The direction, choices in editing and cinematography, and stiff 'acting' from the entire cast renders this a dumpster fire.
  12. mrshalloney
    Dec 10, 2018
    9
    Totally dig this show. For the average viewer it may take a minute to dig in but it's been worth it so far! Lot's of subtle Alien/Shining/2001 vibes which are great as well. Great writing...great cast....well done!
  13. AxsionJaxsion
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    Well written with a great cast. Genuinely scary and suspenseful. Nice insight from GRRM cast and crew on the inside interviews. When is Season 2 ?
  14. jmmh
    Dec 7, 2018
    0
    The big failure here is clearly the writing. Writers can get away with being lazy and ridiculous in pure horror movies. Think Friday the 13th and all its sequels. Dude in hockey mask kills people who do stupid things. The premise is already lazy so unskilled writers can get away with poor work.

    Fans of sci-fi, on the other hand, have much higher expectations. They notice when    The big failure here is clearly the writing. Writers can get away with being lazy and ridiculous in pure horror movies. Think Friday the 13th and all its sequels. Dude in hockey mask kills people who do stupid things. The premise is already lazy so unskilled writers can get away with poor work.

    Fans of sci-fi, on the other hand, have much higher expectations. They notice when things don't make sense or are unbelievable and they don't like it. They also expect the characters to act in reasonably intelligent and realistic ways. In sci-fi great writing can make up for low budgets and terrible effects (think old-school Doctor Who). But no amount of money, pretty visuals and high production values can make up for poor writing. This is where Nightflyers fails spectacularly, its writers are clearly incapable.

    What did the series get right? The ship itself is pretty cool. If you watch the preview featurette it shows that a great deal of effort and money was spent building the space ship sets and they look great. The powers that be should fire the show runners, the directors and especially the writing staff. Keep the set designers/builders and effect staff. Then give the existing sets over to some creative, intelligent sci-fi writers & directors to do something interesting with.

    Below are some examples (anything mentioned is learned early on or isn't of consequence)

    Alien space craft is close enough to Earth to be detectable and easily reachable using an old, existing spaceship. Governments don't care. Corporations don't care. The only people who do care are a rag-tag bunch of renegade (supposedly) science types. Seriously? In reality governments and corporations would be racing to get there first and the world's best and brightest would want to participate.

    Turns out the Nightflyer is (guessing) 30-40 years old. Its a one-off custom ship built decades ago by an individual to live on. Its crewed by a bunch of casual people with no special skills who thought they were signing up for a colonization mission. Yet this is the best ship available to make first contact with aliens?

    Way back in 1897 H. G. Wells wrote War of the Worlds which ends with all the martians being killed by natural pathogens on Earth. Yet 120 years later the writers on Nightflyers have no clue at all about such stuff. At one point the research team get something biological on board which they think is alien. The thing ends up bleeding and oozing all over the place. The research team never thinks or cares about any form of containment or protection. They hang out all around it wearing their casual clothes and even touch it with their bare hands. They cut and rip into it with large quantities of blood pouring out onto the floor. At one point a crew member is seen using tongs to hold a chunk of flesh dripping blood about six inches in front of his gaping mouth. Even doctors working on people (with less gore) wear gloves and face masks. These are supposedly skilled scientists with biological expertise? This is an unknown thing from and alien source and they never even consider pathogens.

    The ship has this fancy memory room which shoots lasers into a person’s eyes while they remember things. There is no effort to explain it at all or why it exists. The person using it just seems to hang out and think about old memories. Everyone loves using it. Turns out the only thing it seems to do is feed this information to a boogie man that then uses the knowledge to scare and torment the people. And, of course, the things people choose to remember in there are the exact things a boogie man would want to know. Its just a pointless thing so they lazy writers can set up scares.

    In sci-fi gravity during space travel is handled in three ways. There is no gravity and ships are built so that their thrust simulates gravity when the engines are firing (The Expanse). Large ships have big sections that rotate to create down-force to simulate gravity (The Martian). Mankind has mastered artificial gravity and people can just walk around ships without concern (Star Trek). The Nightflyer has HUGE sections that spin, clearly for generating down-force to simulate gravity. But in some scenes the ship clearly has artificial gravity because crew just walk around like normal in the non-spinning sections. Sci-fi writers should have a clue about such things.

    Melantha was genetically engineered. At one point only Melantha can fix something because of radiation that she can tollerate for 3 minutes but would kill anyone else. The hazard is just the location, not the problem. She struggles and claws her way across the room to the problem. At 3 minutes she just fixes the problem then passes out on the floor. Suddenly a normal human crew member walks in, strolls across the room casually and saves her.

    It is truly a pathetic effort; The whole series is chock full of lazy, uneducated writing.    … Expand
  15. gmonster320
    Jan 2, 2019
    6
    Not a horrible series but i wanted more. Despite a high production value and some scary moments, "NightFlyers" never reached it's potential. The performances from all the actors were all solid. There's just not enough new here to keep me coming back. The threat to the passenger is much less menacing than anticipated. It all seems a bit "meh" in the end.
  16. ShaMana
    Dec 13, 2018
    2
    An incredibly boring show. Pacing is all over the place. It doesn't seem to be able to decide what genre is it. Not worth the time.
  17. Davrosdaleks1
    Dec 22, 2018
    7
    Based on the George R.R. Martin novella, the sci-fi/horror television show Nightflyers is about the crew of a spaceship seeking out a mysterious alien race.

    The show really nails the horror aspect. It manages to juggle several several horror elements rather than having one singular threat. Things get real freaky and I love it. Also liked just the basic design of the spaceship The    Based on the George R.R. Martin novella, the sci-fi/horror television show Nightflyers is about the crew of a spaceship seeking out a mysterious alien race.

    The show really nails the horror aspect. It manages to juggle several several horror elements rather than having one singular threat. Things get real freaky and I love it. Also liked just the basic design of the spaceship The Nightflyer. Yeah, it doesn't do a whole lot new design-wise, but it looks good.

    However, the show fails to completely stick the landing when it comes to the plot. There are interesting character ideas, mind you, but things never quite jive. Characters make weird decisions, and there are a couple moments where they don't react like real people would. It's like the writers were more interested in creating individual scenes than setting them up naturally. The exhibition is also vague in parts.

    The show is setting up for season two so don't expect some big questions to be answered yet.

    Nightflyers isn't perfect, but I was entertained enough to want to see where this goes.    … Expand
  18. robotsombrero
    Dec 10, 2018
    9
    I'm digging it! Love the homages to classic horror films in the "container" of a space show. And it only gets better the deeper you get into the series. It's fun and scary!
  19. MeOnTheWeb
    Dec 10, 2018
    10
    Been watching the show from the start, great science fiction and really enjoy the suspense and horror. Well thought out, adult science fiction. Don't understand all the negative reviews.
  20. StephenWalsh
    Dec 3, 2018
    9
    I'm actually enjoying it a lot. Think it will take a while to settle into it, but looking forward to next episode.
  21. MadHammer314
    Dec 17, 2018
    10
    *No Spoilers*

    I'm surprised this show is 'mixed' with critics, it's great! I'm taking it as further evidence of how useless professional reviews can be sometimes. Perhaps some saw that it was based on the George R.R. Martin book, and came looking for a "Game of Thrones In Space". I like Game of Thrones, but this an entirely different animal. Personally I think a "Game of Thrones In    *No Spoilers*

    I'm surprised this show is 'mixed' with critics, it's great! I'm taking it as further evidence of how useless professional reviews can be sometimes. Perhaps some saw that it was based on the George R.R. Martin book, and came looking for a "Game of Thrones In Space". I like Game of Thrones, but this an entirely different animal. Personally I think a "Game of Thrones In Space" would be something closer to the Dune franchise, which is completely impossible with the set-up of this show, as it mainly revolves around a single spaceship's mission.

    Personally as a fan of Event Horizon (flim), Altered Carbon (TV), The Expanse (TV) and 2001 (film), I've found the show to be excellent, and a welcome indication that quality Sci-Fi Horror for adult audiences still matters to some show producers. All I can say is watch it! If you don't like the first five minutes of the first episode, it's probably not for you.

    It's definitely doesn't hold your hand for explaining everything quickly (or at all), which may be a contributing factor to some of the negative reviews. Personally I'm a big fan of it's style, which reminded me of the way Altered Carbon didn't explain every term or concept used by the characters, and it was left more to the viewer to pay attention and learn about their world in a more organic way. I've also seen some negative reviews slamming "plot holes" or "uneducated writing", whilst citing events that are explained by the end of season 1. Personally I'm not sure such reviews should be taken seriously, when their patience is clearly too short to even finish the series before rating it badly =|

    Fair warning some scenes in the series can be quite graphic, so if you're easily 'triggered' or don't like body horror elements, maybe steer clear...    … Expand
  22. Tassios
    Dec 27, 2018
    10
    If you take into account the time when the novel was released, the story is much better than many others of the genre, I watched it come if I was at that time and I enjoyed it too much. Also, who is a fan of game of thrones will see some similarities between the two series that are not mere coincidences. highly recommended. despite some minor slips.
  23. Natanieluz
    Feb 1, 2019
    9
    The Nightflyers is a preatty good scifi series, set aboard starship/spaceship (as in the title).
    The series is based on a book (same title) writted by George R. R. Martin.
    9/10, waiting for another season :D.
  24. osulle
    Mar 27, 2019
    5
    Interesting story but the plot is not cohesive. It jumps all over the place. The main cast lacks chemistry in many areas with stilted acting. This could have been a much better series with tighter writing. For me, it misses the mark and instead of being exciting it was boring.
  25. FireStorm1010
    Feb 26, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I just finished watching it and im amazed. This is real sci fi for adults, makes you think. I like sometimes standard hollywood plastic sci fi , but this is on another level, it feels realistic, it moves you. Highly recommend. One thing thats bothered me a bit its the ending, so Karl gets back in time, and it shows like a happy ending, but what about the crew and overall the humanity in its time, I mean that was the aim of this mission, not some personal recover your daughter stuff.… Expand
  26. paulraised
    Feb 3, 2019
    8
    The story makes little sense, it’s cheesy at times, it does borrow all the scifi tropes... But it is extremely entertaining and engaging. It borrows heavily from Event Horizon, in a very good way, so if you liked that movie, this is very fun to watch.
  27. Otacon_
    Feb 10, 2019
    2
    Started out as a compelling scifi show. I was intrigued, I thought yes, this is starting out interesting! (allthough I kind of immediately hated the opening scene, because that's where we're going to end up eventually.. still, I wanted to believe..)

    Then... it just went to complete unlogical chaotich-sub-plot-twists-GARBAGE. Why are we even focusing on anything else then the first    Started out as a compelling scifi show. I was intrigued, I thought yes, this is starting out interesting! (allthough I kind of immediately hated the opening scene, because that's where we're going to end up eventually.. still, I wanted to believe..)

    Then... it just went to complete unlogical chaotich-sub-plot-twists-GARBAGE.
    Why are we even focusing on anything else then the first actual contact with alien life!?
    What was aaaalll thisssss buuuuuuuul******t unimportant chaos surrounding the main freagin goal. Was the psychic kid and his first set goal not enough here ? All the chaos on board was so extremely unnecessary and useless.    … Expand
  28. geistreiches
    Feb 24, 2019
    10
    it's a good show, not sure about the negative reviews here.. needs some time to build up, the first episode might not be the best start but you need to give it time, good actors and mystery..

    people might read too much about a show before they build their own opinion..
  29. badtactic
    Mar 12, 2019
    1
    As a fan of films like Alien (1979), Event Horizon (1997), and more recent flicks like Life (2017) - I had hopes for this series. This hope was bolstered by George R.R. Martin's posit that horror and science fiction belong together - which, of course, has been well established long before the original novella of this book was first drafted.

    Unfortunately the series is a jarring,    As a fan of films like Alien (1979), Event Horizon (1997), and more recent flicks like Life (2017) - I had hopes for this series. This hope was bolstered by George R.R. Martin's posit that horror and science fiction belong together - which, of course, has been well established long before the original novella of this book was first drafted.

    Unfortunately the series is a jarring, frenetic, poorly directed hop through inordinately long time periods and rather grotesque mishaps on the ship that the crew tends to view as completely normal.

    Honestly I really want to like this type of show - but the execution and some of the performances of the actors lower the overall quality of the series to such a state that it's painful to get through each episode. I'd argue the only saving grace is that the intro credit score is quite good.

    That being said I am fighting a lifelong habit of completionism - meaning that I have to finish this series, but tonight when I complete the final episode of the series I will rejoice that i don't have to return to the long, sparse, blood spattered hallways of the Nightflyer.    … Expand
  30. l30nardos
    Mar 26, 2019
    10
    This show got so much potential. I didn't watch 1987 movie or read/listen to the book. But i liked all this Dead Space and Event Horizon Vibe. I just felt the need to watch to the end of this story. Its sad there wont be another season. Because for me it would be a big achievement to take forward this story from where it left us and give it a proper ending.

Awards & Rankings

32
#32 Most Discussed TV Season of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
47

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Dec 3, 2018
    40
    Unfortunately, the show never alchemizes these touchstones into a fresh, distinctive aesthetic. And when projects like this aren’t capable of knocking you out with style, they’d better have vivid characters and a riveting story to fall back on, and that’s not the case here, either.
    Read full review
  2. Reason.com
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    Nov 30, 2018
    20
    The constant, clumsy back-and-forth story line is not [Buhler]'s only annoying affectation. He's also larded Nightflyer with references to other, better, works, from Star Trek to The Shining, probably intended in homage but really serving just to remind you how much better all of them were. And the abundant gore, no doubt a confused nod to Martin's original premise that horror and sci-fi can coexist in the same vehicle, serves no purpose at all. [Buhler] may think he's speaking in some advanced new artistic argot, but really, it's just a lot of outer-space jabberwocky.
    Read full review
  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Alex McLevy
    Nov 30, 2018
    58
    There’s a sense all of this has been done before, and showrunner Jeff Buhler doesn’t quite know how to make it feel new again. It’s a testament to the pulpy dramatics of the source material that Nightflyers remains enjoyable to watch despite these weaknesses.
    Read full review
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