The Battle of Chernobyl (2007)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

THOMAS JOHNSON – THE BATTLE OF CHERNOBYL – 2006 This film or documentary is interesting because it shows what happened in Chernobyl and the result of it. But the visual effects have often been used in other films, including fictional ones.The cause of the catastrophe is only alluded to at the beginning as the result of the decision to experiment some kind of energy saving or productivity enhancing procedure and that is the human mistake at the origin of the disaster, unluckily with no further specification. The result shows clearly that the experiment had not been studied seriously and particularly modelled or virtualized enough before being performed in real conditions. Then is the mistake the result of a bad decision by some engineer or engineers or is it the result of some bad act or initiative of some operator in the machine this plant was, it is probably impossible to decide. In industrial conditions all new procedure has to be tested over and over again and if it turns sour or dramatic it is the proof it had not been. Look at the result.The film is then very graphic about the dangers the men that are brought up into the disaster area to solve the problem before it becomes even worse and about the heroism of these tens of thousands of men who put their lives at risk to wage a battle against an invisible enemy that strike at once but whose negative effects can only be seen a long time later. We are talking there of hundreds of thousands of men, military personnel, reservists, medical personnel, miners, workers from many needed professions to solve the problem who volunteered or were drafted and who died rapidly or are still dying slowly and who all anyway had and have shortened lives that could no longer be what they should have been.It also shows some consequences on the irradiated population and the frightening deformations the children born from the irradiated parents can show and that cannot be in anyway repaired. The cleaning teams that canvassed the zone and killed all cats, dogs and animals that had been irradiated and were still alive could of course not do the same things with human survivors. The consequences are to be accepted as long lasting and probably irreversible ever or maybe not before fifty or a hundred generations and that would only maybe weaken the effects, not erase them totally because they are genetic.The last point of interest is how the international conference that took place right after the catastrophe, after the completion of the first sarcophagus refused to follow the report presented by the Soviet scientists sent by Gorbachev and decided to minimize the foreseeable consequences, particularly the dangerous effects on the life and health of people. The film insists on how it triggered a real dynamic towards some disarmament, but that is not enough to guarantee the non-use of nuclear weapons one day. Note on the side that France is said to have been the only country that declared its territory was entirely free of fallouts. It takes some foolishness at times to be French.The film of course becomes ideological when some call for the dropping of nuclear power as a source of energy. That was maybe romantic enough in 2006, but in 2016 when fossil polluting fuel and sources of energy are supposed to be reduced in use, if not abandoned, when carbon polluting wood is still used as a source of energy and vastly burnt, it is difficult to reject nuclear energy because it is dangerous if it is used unwisely and recklessly. Cars should have been banned a long time ago for the very same reasons, and these cars and their pollution and accidents kill millions of people every year in the world and their pollution is making urban areas stagnating graveyards for surviving human zombies.We have to really work at another level and have a real world conference on the energetic future of the human species and our planet: climate change is by far too limited. And that human work without pollution in a way or another on the regular daily basis of its regular daily functioning should be solely authorized once and for all, banning all other forms starting with diesel and coal, and then oil and eventually wood. That would seriously improve the situation. Nuclear energy is not really at stake here because its regular functioning that sure has to be improved in security- managing and waste-treatment is not a daily polluter in anyway and can be kept under control if basic security regulations are respected, which was not the case in Fukushima.Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU

I first saw this documentary back when the DailyMail in the UK did a weekly DVD release entitled Events That Shook The World. This documentary was one of them. It terrified me at a younger age, but now that I watch it with adult eyes, I can safely regard it as the best documentary on the subject of Chernobyl.Call it the 102 Minutes That Changed America for the Chernobyl disaster, the documentary concerns the aftermath and conspiracies that plagued the disaster in both the short and long term, including interviews with people who were there, and those behind the cover up. Minor spoiler incoming... Even Mikhail Gorbachev is featured in this film, describing the disturbing secrecy the Soviets tried to keep hidden.The film doesn't pull any punches: The whole thing is voiced over by a very calm, apathetic and authoritarian narrator, who describes the events. That, and the subtle music cues create an uncomfortable atmosphere unlike any other documentary film I have ever seen. At a little over an hour and a half long, the film leaves no details missed, describing everything that could possibly be mentioned. That being said, there are two versions of this documentary. One was done with an American narrator, and the original version features a British narrator. I'm not biased being a Brit, but I'd highly recommend people watch the British narrated version over the American version. The latter is a more traditional documentary length at around 40 minutes and misses out a ton of details, plus some of the chilling effectiveness is lost. The American narrator uses a tone that one might not take seriously, and it's comparable to him describing his trip down to the supermarket/grocery store than describing the worlds worst nuclear disaster. The British version is much better. The aforementioned apathetic tone can be taken more seriously, you can find it on YouTube if you search Chernobyl Uncensored.In conclusion, this documentary is up there with Threads as being one of the best and most haunting films about the nuclear issue out there. If your interested at any level about the Chernobyl disaster, definitely check it out. Just be sure to bring some extra pants/trousers because it's pretty haunting, and you have my word on it.

One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I can't believe it has only one review. Trust me, this is absolutely a must see. especially for new generations. They need to understand what we risked with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster! The whole Europe could have become inhabitable! The documentary contains rare original footage, and interviews with the people were there in the days of the disaster. The people that contribute, with their heroic sacrifices, to avoid the worst human catastrophe in our history. Absolutely terrifying to discover what we risked, and the fact that, at the times (I live in Italy) we were told almost nothing about the true risks.

the battle of Chernobyl is about the worst nuclear disaster in the history which effected 9 million lives till date. i am kind of astounded, this movie not even have a single review. the movie contains rare original footage, pictures and some good re- enactments. it is kind of hard to believe what happened in reality because the destruction caused by the radioactivity is enormous. most of the story is forgotten and new generations around the world are not even aware of this disaster.this catastrophe almost crippled the entire country(Ukraine).interview of political leaders,scientists,soldiers,journalist,photographer and several military personnel and real footage of damaged rector makes it not less than a horror movie and the truth becomes more lucid. a mind blowing piece of work,this movie packs a horrifying and emotional punch that you will never forget. so, just do yourself a favor and watch this documentary. this is a must watch.