Chernobyl (2019)

Score: S (10/10)

Chernobyl uses body horror, scientific thinking, and the overbearing censorship of 1980s Soviet Russia to thoroughly and mightily reassess one of the biggest and worst disasters of the 20th century.

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To many, Chernobyl is nothing more than a human-made disaster. However, upon further insight, Chernobyl is seen as a global catastrophe, culminating in the Soviet Union’s government flaws ending the communist regime. However, the resources available detailing the tragedy are thin since the incident occurred in modern-day Ukraine. The show, Chernobyl, brings the events to a modern audience with a grim retelling of those who innocently sacrificed their lives without knowing the truth.

The miniseries ultimately follows one question: why did the reactor explode? It’s a question the audience asks as events unfold, with the trio of Legasov, Shcherbina, and Khomyuk asking the same question by the end of episode three. The conflict presents the more scientific side of the catastrophe, ultimately detailing how a nuclear reactor explodes. However, it also leads the trio to the faults on behalf of the Soviet Union, who’d rather save money than save lives, and the consequences of speaking out about the sovereign state’s wrongdoings. However, that’s without mentioning the three men responsible for the nuclear explosion, who proceeded to follow a safety test protocol three years past its due date on top of maintaining a low power output for ten hours, which caused an imbalance in the nuclear reactor.

However, the miniseries’ true strength is its representation of the situation’s stark reality. Tens of thousands died from the radioactive material in and around the power plant, with many unknowingly inhaling a massively toxic chemical. The catastrophe allows the series to include body horror strengthened by Chernobyl depicting a real-world event. The high radiation levels found at the power plant also help Chernobyl’s depiction of the tragedy, where it was as high as 15,000 Roentgen per hour. Compare that to an x-ray at 3.6 Roentgen, and you have an explanation for the thousands of people who had radiation burns and the tens of thousands who received cancer. Luckily, the decisive actions of the trio, and Mikhail Gorbachev, who did whatever it took to prevent more radiation from spreading to other parts of the world, saved millions of lives regardless of the operation’s overall cost.

There are few times when a cinematic production transcends its medium. In the case of Chernobyl, no other biopic replicates the meaning behind watching history. However, many viewers find themselves lost in the starkness of the story the miniseries tells, to the point where anything fictional is nonexistent. Chernobyl may retell history, but it also reminds us of what would’ve happened if it wasn’t for those risking their lives to save millions.