Creators:
Craig MazinDirected by:
Johan RenckScreenplay:
Craig MazinCinematography:
Jakob IhreComposer:
Hildur GuðnadóttirCast:
Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Ritter, Adam Nagaitis, Robert Emms, Sam Troughton, Con O'Neill, Adrian Rawlins (more)VOD (4)
Episodes(5)
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1:23:45 (E01)
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Please Remain Calm (E02)
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Open Wide, O Earth (E03)
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The Happiness of All Mankind (E04)
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Vichnaya Pamyat (E05)
Plots(1)
Chernobyl, a five-part miniseries co-production from HBO and Sky, dramatizes the story of the 1986 nuclear accident, one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history – and of the sacrifices made to save Europe from unimaginable disaster. On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Soviet Union suffered a massive explosion that released radioactive material across Belarus, Russia and Ukraine and as far as Scandinavia and western Europe. Jared Harris portrays Valery Legasov, a leading Soviet nuclear physicist. As part of the response team, he was one of the first to grasp the scope of the unparalleled disaster that occurred. Stellan Skarsgård plays Soviet Deputy Prime Minister Boris Shcherbina, who is assigned by the Kremlin to lead the government commission on Chernobyl in the hours immediately following the accident. Emily Watson portrays Ulana Khomyuk, a Soviet nuclear physicist committed to solving the mystery of what led to the Chernobyl disaster. (HBO Europe)
(more)Videos (9)
Reviews (17)
This is an event. The initial puzzlement has a quick half-life, as those disembodied moments eventually stand out more than the tangible pressure. It’s a screenwriting university on how to handle the "based on a true story" license while staying in observation mode. It’s a perfect study of human arrogance, lack of humility, and unwillingness to face the truth. A live broadcast of lies that has been coming to us for over thirty years. With all due respect to all the criticisms, the hype is well deserved.
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I'd be even happier if the series would be cast with less prominent stars. After all, Stellan Skarsgård is already unmistakable, Emily Watson's face also gives a hint in advance what kind of heroine her nuclear physicist will be (whether positive or negative), and Barry Keoghan, for example, has never made anything normal, so his presence alone implies certain associations. I would add to this criticism with a few obvious screenwriting crutches: It was as if the recruitment of the miners was taken from a classic western and a few other scenes were very much in the style of the American way of life and their understanding of law and morality. But these are all small things that have no chance to jeopardize an otherwise excellent whole. I myself belong to the Chernobyl generation and the vague news of what happened accompanied my entire childhood. I thus very much welcome the opportunity to experience five HBO-produced episodes on the theme of reconstructing the events and stories of the people immediately surrounding the disaster. I like the idea of just hinting at some key events in the first episode and only explaining them in the lavish conclusion. I also appreciate the individual story of the woman firefighter who lived through the whole tragedy, but above all also survived. And while I had hoped that the intrepid nuclear physicist might not be a piece of fiction, on the other hand, I understand that such knowledge and courage in real life does not belong to a single person. Chernobyl is an important event and if the Russians come up with their own version, I will be there to see it.
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"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid." One of those historical events that you think you know about, but you actually don't, even if you have read Alexijevic and watched Zero Hour. Much (if not everything) could be written and praised about Chernobyl: from the procedural focus to the horror styling, the cinematography, the actors' unforced, unintentionally ridiculous "as if Eastern" diction, to the impact on knowledge and emotion. The way the creators combine genres, with education, warnings, subtexts and tributes, is unparalleled in cinema or quality TV. The way… Well, I already mentioned that much could be written and praised, but there is no reason, because the result is an experience that gets under your skin and you just can't get it out of your head. It’s not 5/5, it’s 15,000/3.6.
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Undeniably quality TV, which is almost impossible to follow with both an emotional and a rational perspective. As the number of episodes increases, the frustration factor is fanned from an enflamed injustice to almost a burning anger over all the cruel wrongs and resulting suffering. Because of this, I can't give it a fifth star on principle, even though the phenomenal Stellan Skarsgård deserves it with every (un)blinking look.
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Chernobyl is not a series, but rather a gripping five-hour film that pays tribute to everyone involved in preventing a potentially even bigger environmental disaster than the one that actually occurred. It fantastically examines the various stages after the explosion, enabling us to experience the human tragedy and the national disaster from multiple perspectives (from firefighters to President Gorbachev). The shooting of contaminated dogs. Miners and their leaders helping out. The gradually emerging understanding and respect between the main male characters (the scientist played by Harris and Skarsgård’s politician). Decomposing bodies of irradiated people in hospitals. The casting and acting of the KGB chief and his appalling attitude… This film contains so many strong story elements that it is practically unbelievable. It is also a chillingly accurate reflection of the shoddy, dishonest and unscrupulous political system on which the Soviet Union built its “glory”, only to later rot away from the inside.
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