Chernobyl

This miniseries looks quite good on 4K Blu-ray. The colors on this series are purposely muted so you are not going to see the colors "pop", that was a directorial choice, but you will be treated to a very sharp image with HDR, and since "Chernobyl" was actually shot and mastered in native 4K, you won't be watching an image up converted from 2K, but will be watching REAL 4K. This well acted and well written true story miniseries tells of the most infamous nuclear disaster in history--and tells that story unusually well. We see many different parts of the disaster from multiple points of view. We witness the events through the eyes of the nuclear operators in the control room of the reactor who followed proper procedure to stop the meltdown from happening and wound up unexpectedly triggering the explosion by doing so (completely unaware of the dangerous flaw in the reactor design that was ultimately responsible for what happened). We also witness events through the eyes of those firefighters on the ground who walked into a situation their training could never have prepared them for (and many of whom paid for that with their lives), we see it through the eyes of the investigators who were shocked to discover the directly exposed core so radioactive it was ionizing the smoke above the blasted and battered reactor building making it glow weirdly--and who then had to figure out exactly why the reactor did the seemingly impossible by exploding when all the proper safety measures were taken to prevent it. We also see events through the eyes of the scientist who discovers her government is lying about the seriousness of the accident when, in the process of her research, she finds the city she lives in is being dangerously irradiated even at such a distance from Chernobyl. And we witness it through the eyes of the nuclear investigator who eventually finds the flaw in the reactor design which caused the disaster, and then is shocked to discover that this same flaw is present in ALL Soviet built reactors--and who is later even more shocked to find that the government would rather make believe there was no flaw to save embarrassment to themselves, than to actually fix the ticking time bombs in their other reactors in order to prevent the same thing from almost surely happening again. My favorite of all was the final episode, in which the government hearing on the disaster takes place. By having the experts explain the technical details in ordinary everyday terms to the non-scientists on the government commission, the events of this tragedy are made just as clear to we the non-scientist viewers. And the explanation of what went wrong and why was utterly fascinating--the flawed emergency system to be used to stop a meltdown dead in its tracks when needed would really cause the reactor to do the opposite if it was actually used in such an emergency scenario! Although the series may have taken a while to draw me in, once it had me it never let go. I couldn't stop until I had watched it all the way to the end--and I'm so glad that I did! This series was very well done and truly eye opening! Chernobyl is an above average miniseries about a real life nuclear disaster and the 4K Blu-ray looks very good. As I mentioned earlier, Chernobyl was actually shot and mastered in native 4K, which rendered a superior image on the disc to many other offerings which are instead up converted from 2K masters. Why TV series and miniseries are usually not released on 4K Blu-ray the way movies are is a mystery to me. In the entire history of the format only Westworld, Chernobyl and Game of Thrones (and spin-off House of the Dragon) and now Halo have ever been released in 4K. I know buyers would swallow up 4K collections of shows like The Mandelorian, The Expanse, Loki, The Crown, The Umbrella Academy, The Orville (which looks great in 4K, but is criminally only released on disc in the standard definition DVD format--not even in high definition!), and so many others if they were simply made available on 4K Blu-ray. Never the less, we do have 5 shows available in the format and Chernobyl is one of them. I recommend the purchase of this truly fascinating miniseries on 4K Blu-ray. Since even HBO Max doesn't show any of its own programs (other than "Game of Thrones" or "House of the Dragon") in 4K for some inexplicable reason, this is the only way to view it in the format it was actually filmed and mastered in--and beyond that it is also an excellent miniseries that is very much worth seeing. You can truly see it at its very best on this 4K Blu-ray edition.

This is one of the finest documentaries made. No bull, no frills, no slick acting - just the facts, excellent actors, amazing photography and settings. Chernobyl remains a horrifying disaster in human history and this movie is important for everyone to see.

Excellent and strong absolutely riveting! One of my favorite tv shows ever made about the Chernobyl disaster.

Despite some liberties taken with how events actually played out, for the sake of time and dramatic license, the portrayal of what happened that fateful Friday night in Ukraine sets up the perfect grounded, realistic horror setting. Invisible bullets at the speed of light that kill your cells one by one until you are literally a living rotten corpse is a terrifying thing to witness, but that's second to the causes of the event and how any person on Earth can point them out in his own life. It's not a complete, technical breakdown of the disaster, how exactly we got the world's worst water heater explosion (though the courtroom scene is a surface-level explanation for the lay man), but it doesn't need to be. Hidden in the totalitarian, buck-passing, Machiavellian scheming, secretive paper tiger that is the Soviet Union and their response to the disaster, are some of the greatest stories of heroism, sacrifice, heartbreak, and loss yet experienced by man. In the process of bringing those stories out and making sure they're told to the greatest degree of authenticity possible, the script ranks among the greatest works ever inked into script in the entire history of the English language. This superlative feat is taken to 11 by an ensemble even more airtight than the drysuits worn by the reactor divers. The acting on display here is truly some transformative talent perfectly bringing forward the complex series of thoughts and emotions of human beings fighting a foe they know precious little about and another they don't even know they're fighting. Jared Harris absolutely carries this series on head and shoulders as Valeri Legasov, as he tries to piece together what exactly went wrong and bring those responsible to account, even if that includes the entire Soviet state itself. In equal measure funny yet grim is the performance of Stellan Skarsgård as Boris Shcherbina, and even the "villains" (such as they are) get top-notch performances. The cinematography, the effects, the set and costume designs all ooze a very well-researched level of detail not often seen, and make incredible leaps and bounds to present an authentic look at Soviet life in the era. Overall, a very impactful, poignant, must-watch work of art. The radiation, the nuclear disaster, that's scary and all. That all of this really happened is all but mortifying. But do you want to know the real horror? We all know a Dyatlov.

It was an odd experience, watching HBO’s Chernobyl for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic. With lying governments, concern with humiliation over human lives, and countless deaths to an invisible enemy, the story Chernobyl feels hauntingly relevant. Legasov throughout the show constantly asks “what are the cost of lies”, and if the global health crisis and a post-truth America has taught us anything, it’s that we are still reckoning for with these very same questions today. “The truth doesn't care about our needs or wants, it doesn't care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie in wait for all time and this at last is the gift of Chernobyl. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask: what is the cost of lies?” The show itself is brilliantly told, and possibly one of the best historical dramas I’ve ever seen. The way information about the Chernobyl disaster is conveyed to the audience feels Hitchcockian, almost like a thriller or a suspense film. Yet despite this, it’s never exploitative. Every scene’s intention is in the story and it’s message, not in trying to thrill or excite. It’s a tricky balance to be respectful and interesting, but the filmmakers nailed that balance. The amount of care and respect that was given to be historically accurate is admirable, and I highly recommend listening to the official HBO Chernobyl podcast to get more insight into the real story. I unfortunately had a minimal knowledge of this his event, and I feel like the show and the podcast together have done a good job filling the gaps. The cinematography and music are incredible, and it creates a moody atmosphere of dread and horror. The acting across the board is just phenomenal, and the show really presents the personal struggles of the individuals alongside the broader disaster in a way that feels very human. A particular sequence that stood out to me was an emotionally powerful journey in the exclusion zone in episode 4, but I won’t spoil that here. The writing is beautiful and moving, if a little embellished at times. I can forgive the filmmakers for being a bit heavy handed when the story and characters are so impactful. Chernobyl is tragic and powerful. It’s excellent filmmaking across the board elevates the what could have been a typical historical drama into something haunting and absorbing. The human cost of lies has never before been so profoundly told cinematically. I hope this work immortalizes the story, and that we never forget the real life heroes who gave their lives to save so many.

The only blu ray I’ve bought in almost a decade and this show is definitely worth it

I knew abut the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, or I thought I did until I watched this. I certainly didn't know how close we came to a widespread disaster that would have rendered uninhabitable vast territory. We knew about the air-borne contamination, but not the almost widespread contamination of the water table and rivers (caused by the hot core burning down through the ground). A cautionary tale that everyone should see. Extremely well done and highly watchable.

One of the best series I've ever seen. Completely true/realistic (I've read), but told within an interesting story of a key character. Casting and acting great as well. The error explained in a very clear concise manner. My other favorites are Breaking Bad and Band of Brothers, this is shorter but just as interesting.

Muy buena serie, la recomiendo mucho. Mi reconocimiento a todas las personas que arriesgaron su vida para solucionar el problema de esa magnitud, muchos de ellos murieron a consecuencia de las radiaciones, son verdaderos héroes. La serie viene con audio y subtítulos en español y es multiregión (A,B,C). El producto llego en buenas condiciones y antes del tiempo estimado.

The 4K disc one has a major issue atvthe end of episode one. It is just not playing. I have have two XBox and a panasonic 4K bluray player and none of them are able to play the first disc. I had asked them to replace the first delivered item, which they did. The second showed the exact same issue. That is when I thought it might be the XBox and did not take a refund. But the lastest Panasonic player I bought from the USA is also unable to play the part. So be careful and check if you are facing the same issue or not. Seller Games.Stores*****, please be aware.

Als Physiker kann ich die Serie sogar empfehlen. Es wird sehr schön umschrieben, die Zusammenhänge sind für Laien verständlich, wenn auch etwas grundlegend. Spannend, ein nettes Drama für ein Wochenende

This HBO series is well known for its accurate portrayal of the worlds worst nuclear accident, well written and well acted.

I was unable to find this in the UK so ordered from American, the discs arrived in about 2 weeks which was expected, both the 4k discs and blu rays are region free so will work on uk systems.