5 hours and 30 minutes of unadulterated realism, unadulterated concentration, and unadulterated terror. Ladies and gentlemen, HBO presents, Chernobyl.
The events of Chernobyl are quintessential landmarks in history that occur to remind us that it only takes a couple jerks and a government of liars to start a national catastrophe. Translation: we are never safe as long as we are amongst humankind.
It was the wakeup call of a lifetime.
HBO’s Chernobyl puts classic horror catastrophe movies such as 28 Days Later or Jaws to shame—and it’s something that actually happened. The mini-series seems to be aiming to not only cover just about all the intricate details that happened during these fatal moments but to inform its viewers of the outcomes we should avoid when calculating human behaviors. It’s a show about the consequences of confidentiality and how the ego of narcissistic authorities can alarmingly overcome the demanding priorities of life.
Like how David Fincher’s The Social Network made computer coding look interesting as hell, Chernobyl makes nuclear physics look like the easy-to-understand hobby of a lifetime. Despite the complicated, scientific information that the show must communicate to its wide-ranging audiences, it seems to handle the matter quite smoothly.
So yes, HBO’s Chernobyl is great. In fact, it’s epic. However, the coined term “best mini-series of all time” I have my doubts about—I mean, have you guys seen the first season of True Detective and Fargo???—but it’s unquestionably a top contender for the spot. Artistically, the show is nothing pioneering—and it certainly doesn’t have to be bearing in mind it’s just trying to be as genuine as possible. The narrative is very cohesive, so this was definitely a show that was meant to appeal to almost everyone. It’s just that shows that do take far more risks are going to likely appeal to me considerably more.
I’m a bit stumped though on how a screenwriter can simply go from writing Scary Movie 3-4, Superhero Movie, The Hangover Part II-III, Identity Thief, and The Huntsman: Winter’s War to writing a high-brow historical drama like Chernobyl. This dude makes Todd Phillip’s accomplishment with Joker look like child’s play.
Chernobyl Math:
Episode 1 —> 1:23:45 = A-
Episode 2 —> Please Remain Calm = A-
Episode 3 —> Open Wide, O Earth = A-
Episode 4 —> The Happiness of All Mankind = B+
Episode 5 —> Vichnaya Pamyat = A
Final Verdict: A-
“Chernobyl” is now available to stream on HBO NOW.
Burning the Celluloid 
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