This documentary had an ambitious goal : in just 3 episodes (45 minutes each) it should've familiarized us with the inauguration, life and demise of one of the most oppressive regimes in recent history, which had millions killed in various forms of detention, poisoned its society with twisted arguments and fear, stole technology and wrapped it as their own, all the while this legacy being perpetuated through toxic habits to these days in that country / region. Yet , steadily , some uneasy feeling seeps through the words of the invited historians commenting various events, illustrated by black&white film footage - a certain condescending attitude, mixed with resigned acceptance and alarming awe : after all this is Russia, a huge, rich state, which imposed itself at home and abroad with a strong will and brilliant cunningness, and as such its demands will always be accepted, because somehow it had always managed to get its way. According to this logic any of the past empires should demand their past influence because of their ancient might - and here lies another problem with this series : it manages to glide over ferociously violent episodes in Europe or elsewhere that were the result of the Soviet Union influence, sneakingly implying that its actions were justified, as other great powers had done something similar. I must vigorously stress that this series looks simplistic, offensive and dangerous. Also it's glaringly incomplete : despite the fact that the Soviet Union dissolved at the end of 1991, it survived in its new form as the very present Russian Federation, quite odd that there is no mentioning of the already 2 decades of Putin administration which promoted intensively the cult of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and his "great" heritage, surprisingly, or not, celebrated through a Russian invasion of Ukraine, under devious and false accusations - precisely in 2022 (even considering the fact that the documentary was developed and made in the year/s before, there is still quite a striking coincidence for the timing of its releasing); which justifies the word "anniversary" in the title. Unfortunately, I don't think this 3DDD production , in all its britishness, can stand a serious test of objectivity.
