Chernobyl

(series)
Trailer 1
USA / UK, 2019, 5 h 11 min (Length: 59–65 min)

Creators:

Craig Mazin

Directed by:

Johan Renck

Screenplay:

Craig Mazin

Cinematography:

Jakob Ihre

Cast:

Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Ritter, Adam Nagaitis, Robert Emms, Sam Troughton, Con O'Neill, Adrian Rawlins (more)
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Episodes(5)

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)

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Reviews of this series by the user Necrotongue (6)

Chernobyl (2019) 

English 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. ()

1:23:45 (2019) (E01) 

English I'm not sure if I've ever seen such a strong opening episode of a series. I don't think so. Setting aside how it really happened and how the filmmakers possibly helped themselves, because the atmosphere of the first episode absolutely captivated me. The feeling of fear, futility, and depression was almost tangible, this was truly a powerful experience. ()

Please Remain Calm (2019) (E02) 

English Besides the slightly weird Gorbatchov, I have no negative comments about the second episode either. This series has hooked me from the very first moments, and I can't imagine what horror the creators would have to come up with to make me stop enjoying it. So far, I am very satisfied. ()

Open Wide, O Earth (2019) (E03) 

English I praised both previous episodes a lot, but the third part seemed even better to me. Once again, I have to commend the creators for the absolutely perfect atmosphere that elevates the series very high. While today's horrors seem rather funny to me, Chernobyl often gives me chills down my spine. And no matter what happened in the episode, the funeral with the pallbearer left the biggest impression on me. ()

The Happiness of All Mankind (2019) (E04) 

English The fourth episode seemed to me to be the weakest (so far). To show what all needed to be done and on how large a territory - why not? But I have spent too much time with the bunch of races and the final debate about the truth annoyed me similarly to deLaFere. Suddenly, the feeling that I was watching real events disappeared, which the series managed to evoke in me, instead I was filled with disgust for similar statements, which every nobody has plenty of today, because they know well that nothing threatens them. ()

Vichnaya Pamyat (2019) (E05) 

English In the final episode, two things caught my attention the most. 1) I really liked the reconstruction of the possible events before the actual explosion; it was done excellently and I really enjoyed it. 2) Comrade Legasov impressed me; thanks to his detailed explanation, I also understood how the nuclear reactor works and the reason for the RBMK reactor explosion. ()