User Reviews

I'm not gonna waste any time on expressing that this is one of the best episodes of a historical drama series of all time and arguably of any show in general. The episode starts by showing us what will become one of our primary characters and how the ramifications of the event that we are about to see unfold affected him in the years to come. It's a great way of intriguing those who might not know as much about Chernobyl as well as make them wonder if his past justifies the drastic measures he takes. We then cut to a minute before the explosion where we see a fireman and his pregnant wife. The wife notes how there is a strange glow to the air as the husband brushes it off as the tar reacting from the roof, unaware that it's the radiation from the core meeting the oxygen. This unawareness displayed by the civilians is one of the things that makes this episode so haunting, a scene later shows a group of civilians, families, wives, husbands, sons and daughters watching from a bridge at the explosion as radioactive ash lands on their skin. This scene is chilling but beautifully shot and will forever be imbedded in my mind. Equally horrifying in it's own right is the more immediate threat at Chernobyl itself and the workers attempts or lack there of to cool the exposed core. We see peoples skin come up in rashes as the mere sight of the core and peoples skin melting from prolonged exposure, it's awful and uncomfortable to watch but still expertly acted, written and shot. Meanwhile we see the firemen arrive and the graphite that was being used to slow the neutrons within the core, one of the firemen picks a piece of graphite up (bare in mind it was previously in direct contact with boiling, pure, uranium 235) his hand is instantly effected and within a minute the skin on his hand has melted away to the muscle and bone. We also get the equally distressing if less graphic scenes with the politicians who don't fully grasp the weight of the situation and neglect the safety of innocents to prevent the spread of harmful or disinformation. Scenes like these often fall behind wether it be the lack of visual prowess or just poor writing but the acting AND writing here is just as if not more gripping than the rest. The episode ends with shots of the vibrantly coloured greenery and bustling playgrounds of schools as the black, deadly, radioactive smoke fills the sky in the distance and a bird falls to the concrete, twitching until it is dead. Having this juxtaposition of life and death really helps hit home just how quickly and unexpectedly the people of Pripyat, Ukraine, Belarus and the world's lives changed. This is TV at it's finest, but it gets better... 9.5 out of 10

50,000 people used to live here... Now it's a ghost town

A true horror story. This was a fantastic first episode. It's just scary to think that real people actually went through what was happening on screen. Also, the production value was out of this world. Great cinematography and CGI. Great acting. I can't wait for episode 2 to see more of the aftermath and how much worse the ones in command will be able to screw up. It was just so infuriating. People are vomiting left and right. There was an obvious explosion, that was even felt in the neighbouring town. People that have actually seen that the core is gone, tell you to stop and realise what the hell you're doing and you're just going - Nope, I'm right, you're wrong.

Great first episode that shows us Chernobyl tragedy. It is very well done. The setting is perfect. The nuclear power plant after the explosion makes one horrified. The town and apartments really are Soviet. Seems very authentic. Perfect acting. It keeps one astonished watching the events of something that we now know was a horrific catastrophe.

First, I always review movies by 5 standards: 1. Plot/Story, 2. Characters/Acting skill, 3. Cinematography/Directing, 4. Sound (both music and general), 5. Overall enjoyability. Each of these categories can yield up to 2 points for a total of 10. It can be slightly more complicated, but I always explain those details in the review.

This is how you open a series. The unfortunate part about all of this is the fact that it is based on actual events. For those who are unaware of just how volatile the 80s were when it comes to the storage and handling of toxic chemicals and other hazards, you should probably Google EPCRA (and check out the disaster in Bhopal India that set this into motion). I'm hoping to write a review for the remainder of this series, but so far, this is just masterful at all levels. If you were to only watch this one episode, everything is packaged up so tightly that it could easily be a stand-alone short film.

Plot/Story: 2 An easy score to give, simply because the source material is so robust. They really did a great job of opening with Jared Harris (Legasov), which immediately paints the picture that the events at Chernobyl were more than meets the eye. Flashback to the events that took place involving the reactor, we really begin the story from the eyes of the scientists inside of the station. There is an immediate rush and a sense of urgency from all who stand inside, and there is amazing banter back and forth between a few. Following this was a very brief look into the personal lives of one of the firefighters. It wasn't forced, nor was there lot of heavy-handed dialogue. There was no need for this, and the writers did an excellent job of saying a little to say a lot, which is rare nowadays. The tension was almost palpable, as we scroll through all of the dilemmas that the scientists, state workers, and firefighters faced, which brings me to the characters and acting.

Characters/Acting Skill: 2 I've already mentioned Jared Harris, who is almost always brilliant, so HBO kind of cheated on getting him on board. You can tell that all of the people involved in this event could sense that there was something ominous, and they did so with their EYES, not their MOUTHS. Sometimes subtlety goes a long way and you do not need someone to come right out and state their intentions. Even the delirious Paul Ritter (Dyatlov), was nothing short of exceptional. Dyatlov was very fascinating, and I was not too familiar with Paul Ritter prior to the show. What I took away from this first episode's performance was that he was in a state of shock, mixed with a great fear that caused him to damn the workers, responders, and residents of Chernobyl in the process. Just Ritter's acting alone was so unique and interesting, but the rest all did a wonderful job.

Cinematography/Directing: 2 There is no question the level of competency in this project. If this first episode is a clue, then the rest of the series should clean house with great visuals and set design. The pace of this first episode was immaculate. There was perfect balance to dialogue and chaos that will grip you from the beginning and will not let go until the end. Speaking of the end, wow! Have you ever seen a disaster movie, such as 2012, or some crap like that? Well, Chernobyl delivers style without making you want to throw up from the unrealistic visuals. As the radiological smoke cloud hovers high in the clouds and begins to slowly creep into town, you begin to see the trees turn brown. The very last visual we see is a bird that falls from the sky and slams into the concrete below, gasping for breath and convulsing from the pain (no doubt caused by the bird's internal organs sludging from the inside). If that does not send chills down your spine, you may need to check and see if you're a replicant.

Sound: 2 No surprise here, the sound was a perfect complement to the well-scripted, well-directed, and well-edited episode. I would include the full name of the composer, but it is rather difficult, so please check the full cast and crew to get the right information. I will certainly be checking out other works by this individual and compare with what was done here on Chernobyl. Moments that were highlighted by tension were superb, but other moments were great as well. The addition of the sounds from each scene coupled nicely with this eerie score that made you feel the weight of this massive event taking place on screen.

Overall Enjoyability: 2 As I mentioned earlier, this episode is kind of bittersweet in that it is a retelling of such a horrific display of incompetence of real people. However, it is in my nature to appreciate a good show or movie that handles the source material with such delicacy as Chernobyl has done in this first episode. I loved everything about this episode, and am really fearful that it will eventually drop the ball (GOT flashbacks). Seriously though, this installment left me with my eyes open wide and my mouth gaped open, which is difficult to do. I would strongly recommend this to anyone with a brain. Don't skip over this gem! I'll be sure to continue the series so I can give reviews of the remaining content. Hope this helps!