Chernobyl: Abyss

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Chernobyl: Abyss" (2021) is a terrible movie. I think that after this disastrously bad movie, Danila Kozlovskiy's carrier as a director will end pretty soon. This movie felt like it took / ripped all from Hollywood movies produced some 20 years ago. It was like a rollecoster of all bad scenes from movie like "Peal Harbor" (2000) and beyond, with quick cuts every second showing and focusing on nothing meaningful for a second.

Overall, skip "Chernobyl: Abyss" and better watch HBO's masterpiece series than this crap. This movie done everything wrong. Even a very talented Oksana Akinshina did not had anything to do in this movie, which says a lot. Its not just a bad film, its a terrible one.

Avoid (not even worth writing more than this).

Pointless.

Now I think it is safe to say, that after the HBO drama, there had to be a response or a movie that tried to show things ... a bit differently. Do not try to compare the series with this if you can. The movie will lose out for sure.

Politics are thrown out (mostly, maybe if you are good willing you are able to see some small references) and it is all about the personal journey of 3 main characters - a "family" of sorts. Now I do not know what they were based on and I read there are many things that are anything but accurate. Having said that, if you suspend your disbelief and go with the flow you'll be able to enjoy the movie.

Well enjoy may be too strong of a word. There is enough tension from start to finish - although it does take a few moments ... or an introduction to the characters before it goes on. There are quite a few things that bugged me, but overall the movie worked and I was there with the characters. Again, it will depend how willing you are to suspend your disbelief ... otherwise you may not want to watch this at all.

I am not going to compare it with the HBO series. Taking the movie as it is, it's horribly bad, from so many points of view. Plot, layout, historical accuracy, characters and so on. It's all a big cliche of a movie that fails to deliver the message that the director really wanted to send. The movie makes you feel nothing, not only about the main characters but also about the whole Chernobyl disaster. How can you take such a horrible event and transform it in to a boring story that makes you feel nothing. If you want to watch it, know you'll waste your time. This movie has NOTHING to offer.

I am really astonished at the low ratings for this Netflix version of Chernobyl called Chernobyl 1986. Yes, I have seen the HBO mini series, Chernobyl and loved every bit of it, except for the fact that it was terribly odd to see Ukrainians and Russians speaking in English. Compared to the HBO version head on, yes this one doesn't stand a chance, as the HBO version Sheds more details on the catastrophic events and had a far superior impression on the viewers minds. Chernobyl 1986, focuses on the personal life of a fictional character who plays a major role in containing certain aspects of the disaster.

The problem with Chernobyl 1986 is that, the movie looses about a good thirty minutes in introducing the lead character and his love life. Things get on track when disaster unfolds, it is when things get intense and sometimes even gripping. Lot of other characters are introduced along the way, and the core story moves to, locating and opening a valve near the reactor, though this part was already covered in the HBO series, but still, it keeps the viewers minds interested.

Cinematography is brilliant, with some shots really exceptional. Screenplay is good enough to keep the viewer interested by just telling a human side of the story, than a technical one. Production design, music, costumes and makeup were excellent. Editing is good and the movie has a runtime of 135 minutes. CGI has some good and bad bits equally. Sound design is excellent. Most of the actors play their parts decently with Oksana Akinshina's performance the best among the lot.

Overall, assuming that the viewer has seen the HBO mini series of the same name and knows all the technical details of the disaster, this movie will give you, a further crash course on true blue patriotism, soul touching love, sacrifice, some nail biting action sequences and a lesson on humanity. All these may sound very cheesy, but thankfully Chernobyl 1986 is definitely not, One has to thank its director Danila Kozlovskiy for that. I would recommend this movie to all the people who have watched HBO mini series, for a follow up of things. Watch it if you don't have anything else to do. 6.7 stars out of 10 for a movie that celebrates humanity and love above everything else.