Chernobyl

Released: July 2019

BBFC Rating: 15

Created by: Craig Mazin

Cast: Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Emily Watson

Right, before you start, yes this is not technically a film, more of a mini-series per-say. However I have wanted to write about this for a while now as a) as you'll see it is amazing and b) I find the subject of Chernobyl very very fasinating indeed. Chernobyl is pretty self descriptive in the name, telling the story of 1986 disaster across 5 episodes which when sewn together could easily be mistaken for a very long film. I had been wating for something like this to come out for ages as Chernobyl is somehting that thoughrouly interested me yet i never fully understood it; from why it happened to the politics behind it, and is somehting I could write about in a historical analysis essay. However.... I am aware this is a film blog so I will keep my historical interest at bay for now. Chernobyl is a masterpiece in storytelling, giving the audeicne what they need to know when, and only revealling the true anture of what happens in time with those invesitgating it: Valery Legasov ( Harris ) and Boris Shcherbina ( Skarsgard ). What really does encapsulate me in the show is not only the attention to detail in the disatsrer but also the effects of it. The horror like nature of the show is what truly cuaght my eye, from the shocking nature of the radioactive effects to the chills the soundtrack leaves down your spine. Its not just the sickness that shocks you however, its the politics behind it that also leave you glued to what is going on, with the handling of the mess seeming like something out of House of Cards rather than history. The whole feeling of the show really does leave you wanting the next episode, which makes the 5 and a half hours of runtime seem like you've just watched a rather long political thriller rather than a Mini-Series. the highlight of the show for me is the ending, ( SPOILERS !!! ), the reveal of all the lies that have been going around trying to cover up what is going on, and only by the end do you remeber that this is all what happened, leaving you that much more dazzled at what you have just witnessed. For me this also had such a large effect on me spiritually, to think about how deeply our lies not only effect each other but also how they effect a relationship with God, how we are so easy to cover ourselves up for our own sake and not seek the repurcussions of what we are actually doing, shown so evidently in the show when the time comes to admit to the world what has gone on only to leave the characters in a state of pure angst and misery to what they have just done. overall this is a must watch, one of the best shows ( film ) I have seen in a long while and certainly worth 5 or so hours of your time.

My rating: 10/10 ( Perfect )

Contains injury detail, bad langauge and threat