It is hard to really asses this show as proper sci-fi show, such as Stargate etc. This show was made primarily for youth, aged 12 to 17; Never the less it manages to attract elder viewers through it's captivating semi-original plot, which seats very nicely at it's Israeli environment.
The shows centres around a mysterious gate (sounds familiar?) which is found in the early 1950's by a group of archaeologists, lead by the (non fictional) General Moshe Dayan; Once found, a nuclear reactor is built around it, and a top-secret city (shades of Area 51?) also develops on site.
The gate remains mysterious as no one can actually explain what is on the other side of it; people can move in & out of it, but all they can see is a metal based closed room. Nothing else.
In the mean time, a partial DNA code is found by the top scientist but he can not identify to whom it belongs too... He gives this piece of the puzzle to his son, Noah, who later becomes the chief of the nuclear reactor facility; and with aggressive and extreme measures he manages - after a 50 years search! - to find the correct individual with that DNA - 17.5-year-old Tzuri Bar-Lev, high school boy.
He manages to bring the boy - and his father - to the Top-secret city, but then of course, things do not go as planned, and as the mystery around the gate & beyond is solved - other issues erupt at the same time...
The show's plot is certainly captivating and engaging, but the dialogue / text leaves a lot to be desired at times, especially when the younger member of the cast are interacting; Again this show was aimed at younger viewers, although some of the action on it is quite brutal and bloody - in way which will never pass on American TV, for example. It is surprisingly quite vivid and realistic, and for that alone it deserves 8 out of 10.
The show run for 50 episodes on it's first season; a further 25 episodes are in production for it's 2nd and final season. The show has created a strong fan base in Israel, although it was not broadcast on any major channel, but on the digital satellite subscription based "Yes" TV company.
Additional information, January 2008:
"Ha-Nefilim", the first ever Israeli Sci-Fi show for young & old viewers has just terminated it's 25-episodes 2nd Season run, in great success. The plot in the 2nd season was more action based and the script has greatly improved (although there is always room for more improvement).
The 2nd season ended in a cliff-hunger - the alien ships of the 'Nefilim' have arrived to earth, and started their massive bombardments. Will earth survive? Will Tzuri manage to save the day one more time? all that in the 3rd - and final - 25-episode run season, to start in Summer 2008.
