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)Reviews of this series by the user Necrotongue (6)
Chernobyl (2019)
I often approach highly-rated films and series with caution because it’s happened to me more than once that my opinion completely differed from the majority. With Chernobyl, all my concerns quickly went away. Craig Mazin did an excellent job with the screenplay, the series was imbued with a fantastic atmosphere from start to finish, there was surprisingly little melodrama and an excellent cast as a bonus. Plus, the authors managed to make me remember the total brainwash by the media and school. The propaganda at the time must have broken all records for downplaying the actual events.
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1:23:45 (2019) (E01)
I'm not sure if I've ever encountered such a gripping opening episode in a series before. Seriously, I'm racking my brain, but nothing comes close. Regardless of how much artistic license the filmmakers took, the atmosphere they created in the first episode was absolutely mesmerizing. The sense of fear, hopelessness, and despair was almost palpable — it was a truly intense experience.
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Please Remain Calm (2019) (E02)
Apart from the slightly weird Gorbachev, I don't have any complaints about this episode. This series had me hooked right from the start, and I can't fathom what the creators would have to do to make me stop enjoying it. So far, I'm thoroughly satisfied.
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Open Wide, O Earth (2019) (E03)
I've been singing praises for the past two episodes, but the third one was even better. Once again, hats off to the creators for crafting an atmosphere that's downright chilling. While today's horror movies often leave me chuckling, Chernobyl sends shivers down my spine. And that funeral scene with the concrete mixer? That's the stuff nightmares are made of.
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The Happiness of All Mankind (2019) (E04)
The fourth episode struck me as the weakest (up until now). Sure, showcasing the extensive efforts and scale of the task at hand makes sense. But delving too much into the political races and the final truth debate grated on me. It somehow broke the illusion of witnessing real events that the series had so skillfully built up. Instead, I found myself irritated by the all-too-familiar rhetoric that seems to saturate our present-day discourse.
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Vichnaya Pamyat (2019) (E05)
In the last episode, two things stood out for me. Firstly, the way they reconstructed the events leading up to the explosion was top-notch and thoroughly enjoyable. Secondly, Comrade Legasov's detailed explanation of how the nuclear reactor functions and the reasons behind the RBMK reactor explosion made me understand it better.
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