Chernobyl (2019)

Watchseries; "What is the cost of lies?". This question is definitive for understanding "Chernobyl" mini-series.

I was a kid living near Pryp'iat' when the forth nuclear reactor exploded. Both of my parents worked at that Nuclear Power Plant. My sister went to school in Pryp'iat' on April 26, 1986. Nobody told us nothing about the danger. Moreover, those, who wanted to leave Pryp'iat' for personal reasons weren't allowed to do so. Only after more than 36 hours after the disaster, on sunny Sunday evacuation begun. We were told that the evacuation is only a "temporally measure" and that we will come back to our homes on the next day, after they'll "clean up" Pryp'iat'. Well, more than 30 years have passed since that promise. They told us nothing about the level of radiation, neither gave us potassium iodide. My parents, who went back as so-called "liquidators" told me that even in the May of 1986 they were deceived about the radioactivity level and didn't receive potassium iodide. Most of their colleagues are dead by now. There were lie everywhere and about everything.

The mini-series nailed most of that lies and show its consequences. The criminal and cowardice nature of the soviet government, the incompetence and fear of big and small "bosses" without proper education, but with big ambitions. The fear and meanness of careerists with black souls, ready to lie to the last and easily sacrifice others. Especially easily such liars are willing to sacrifice others. The conscript soldiers and reservists (which were called "partisans" by liquidators) who were sent to the roof to clear it from graphite are mostly dead by now. These "bio-robots" were sometimes misused, worked over the "safe" time, sent back more and more. Such dehumanization is terrifying. Evacuated people not only lost their homes and all their previous lives - they were doomed to diseases and "stigmatization" by society. Their lives were divided on "before" and "after" the disaster. In the May, 1986 along the roads near Pryp'at' lay a lot of shot dogs - it was heartbreaking to see, my mother recalls. She was looking for our dog among those dead bodies.

This is the real cost of lies. "The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all". Soviet atmosphere and life recreated as thoroughly as possible. Total lies, cowardice, incompetence and inhumanity of the system and its functionaries evoke memories and is as frighten as a revived corpse enchanted by necromancers from HBO. Craig Mazin has created a spiritualistic seance under the guise of the mini-series. The degree of immersion and horror is amazing. No horror film is capable of what reality is capable of. Musical accompaniment, background noises, absurdity and madness of what is happening on the screen, the doom of the performers of someone else's will, going to suffering and death. And the total lie of all and about everything. All of these shown by wonderful actors cast, with tense dramatization, perfect ambient sounds and music. Deep and haunting show, with excellent balance between staying true to the real story and keeping audience in suspense despite the fact that we all know how the story ends.

The whole soviet system was build on lies, on denial of truth. All we are eager to believe in convenient lies rather than to accept painful truth. And sooner or later such ignoranc

"What is the cost of lies?". This question is definitive for understanding "Chernobyl" mini-series.

I was a kid living near Pryp'iat' when the forth nuclear reactor exploded. Both of my parents worked at that Nuclear Power Plant. My sister went to school in Pryp'iat' on April 26, 1986. Nobody told us nothing about the danger. Moreover, those, who wanted to leave Pryp'iat' for personal reasons weren't allowed to do so. Only after more than 36 hours after the disaster, on sunny Sunday evacuation begun. We were told that the evacuation is only a "temporally measure" and that we will come back to our homes on the next day, after they'll "clean up" Pryp'iat'. Well, more than 30 years have passed since that promise. They told us nothing about the level of radiation, neither gave us potassium iodide. My parents, who went back as so-called "liquidators" told me that even in the May of 1986 they were deceived about the radioactivity level and didn't receive potassium iodide. Most of their colleagues are dead by now. There were lie everywhere and about everything.

The mini-series nailed most of that lies and show its consequences. The criminal and cowardice nature of the soviet government, the incompetence and fear of big and small "bosses" without proper education, but with big ambitions. The fear and meanness of careerists with black souls, ready to lie to the last and easily sacrifice others. Especially easily such liars are willing to sacrifice others. The conscript soldiers and reservists (which were called "partisans" by liquidators) who were sent to the roof to clear it from graphite are mostly dead by now. These "bio-robots" were sometimes misused, worked over the "safe" time, sent back more and more. Such dehumanization is terrifying. Evacuated people not only lost their homes and all their previous lives - they were doomed to diseases and "stigmatization" by society. Their lives were divided on "before" and "after" the disaster. In the May, 1986 along the roads near Pryp'at' lay a lot of shot dogs - it was heartbreaking to see, my mother recalls. She was looking for our dog among those dead bodies.

This is the real cost of lies. "The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all". Soviet atmosphere and life recreated as thoroughly as possible. Total lies, cowardice, incompetence and inhumanity of the system and its functionaries evoke memories and is as frighten as a revived corpse enchanted by necromancers from HBO. Craig Mazin has created a spiritualistic seance under the guise of the mini-series. The degree of immersion and horror is amazing. No horror film is capable of what reality is capable of. Musical accompaniment, background noises, absurdity and madness of what is happening on the screen, the doom of the performers of someone else's will, going to suffering and death. And the total lie of all and about everything. All of these shown by wonderful actors cast, with tense dramatization, perfect ambient sounds and music. Deep and haunting show, with excellent balance between staying true to the real story and keeping audience in suspense despite the fact that we all know how the story ends.

The whole soviet system was build on lies, on denial of truth. All we are eager to believe in convenient lies rather than to accept painful truth. And sooner or later such ignoranc

Chernobyl watchseries. In terms of series expression, it moves on in a style that we can call "documentary-drama". But there is a serious scenario success here. The visual and verbal emotions of the series we watch are sometimes causing anxiety, sometimes causing anger and sometimes we cannot prevent our eyes from being moistened. The gloomy atmosphere of the Soviets is very well reflected. The background music supports this. It has a cinematic narrative. You feel the catastrophe up to your buttonhole. Nevertheless, acting certainly takes the business to a much higher level. Chernobyl is now at the top of the "Top Rated TV Shows" list in IMDb. This is a significant improvement, even if you are a person who does not consider the IMDb score very much. Such a great success in a short time... It really deserves a round of applause. 10/10

The first episode somehow surpassed my expectations for what this TV Show would do with the biggest nuclear disaster ever! Without giving any spoilers besides the obvious, the cinematic quality is unbelievable! I found myself looking at many transition scenes with disbelief, a complete state of shock- that's how good the first episode of HBO's mini-series "Chernobyl" was! The writing wasn't LEGENDARY but it was great, but most importantly, consistent! Every actor did an amazing job at portraying each character and their feelings, which ultimately, led to a even greater ambience. When the episode ended, I was left with a feeling like if I was in Chernobyl! I felt like I was contaminated by radiation. Although that might sound silly, I really felt unwell after watching "Chernobyl"! That just shows how incredibly effective the first episode was on displaying the horrific events that took place in Chernobyl, and how many lives were absolutely destroyed and affected following the disaster. So far, a must-watch!

What is so terrifying is it's not trying to be a horror programme, it's what actually happened. It's not gratuitous... it's what happened. And it's scarier than any horror movie I could ever call to mind. There are scenes where my blood ran cold, where I felt queasy but most of all I was just horrified by the scenes that depicted those first on the scene. You always look for the helpers in any disaster. But what if the disaster overcomes the helpers. What if even the strongest of us are no match for the horrific event. It's almost unthinkable. But it happened here. This will stick with you long after the credits roll. As it should.

My husband grew up near Kyiv and his father drove one of the buses that evacuated the civilians from Pripyat. I have heard his stories of the disaster; the people's concerns, fears and sacrifices. We watch this together and he is amazed at it's authenticity. The set detail, the way the Soviet regime hierarchy functioned, the denial and secrecy surrounding the disaster. He tried (as he usually does when watching a Western production based in or about that part of the world) to find errors or inconsistencies but has not been able to - yet.

The acting is impeccable by all, the filming is top notch, the sounds used to heighten the tension versus music. The way they are able to capture that exact feeling of anxiety, horror, disgust and sadness all rolled into one is admirable.

I have completed the series and it definitely ranks as one of the best. This story has been waiting to be told and there is hands down no one better than HBO to do it. Russia has said it intends to produce its own Chernobyl program, it will be interesting to compare the two. Theirs will purportedly label the CIA as the perpetrator....

'Chernobyl' is scarier than most horror movies in that it is a dramatization of actual, real-life horror experienced by thousands of people on that fateful April 1986 morning and the years that followed. This disaster has haunted the nation, Europe, and the rest of mankind more than three decades later. And that creeping dread permeates the whole show. It's difficult to watch. But it certainly makes it a must-watch.