mrbiscuit

This is a solid, well-produced, period drama loosely based on real events. Free of melodrama and ham-fisted direction, this expertly made show gives a good impression of life during this extremely tense period in U. S. history.

For anyone complaining about "soapy" tendencies, that is simply not the case. An effective show needs well-rooted characters with full lives and arcs to propel the story forward. It lacks the cheesy speeches and interplay many shows of this ilk suffer from.

As for more details and specifics on the Manhattan Project itself, go watch a documentary. This isn't that. It's a compelling show about people working through a super challenging situation. And it's handled well, and with great care.

If you're stuck on the negative reviews, give it a chance and judge for yourself.

As someone who lived the metal scene in the 80's and 90's, I can say that this film did a convincing job of immersing the viewer into a believable environment and scenario. Though this specific realm is unfamiliar to me personally, the way the NBM scene is portrayed feels highly accurate. The characters aren't one-dimensional, yet layered with confliction emotions and ethical quandaries, adding to the realism.

The overall visual style, direction, story and acting was perfectly suited to the source material, lending an aptly bleak tone with moments of dark levity.

This deserves higher ratings and critical acclaim, but perhaps, as in the case of the journalist portrayed, the critics and general audience don't have enough of a sense of the story and context to make an accurate judgement.

Even if going by filmmaking attributes alone, it effectively paints a coherent narrative in a concise storyline, backed by deft production and directly. This ranks up there with some of the best music-themed films of the last decade.

..this piece of work is a piece of work. A magnificent one. Not the sci-fi fan I once was, but this really made me yearn for more of that childhood feel-good nostalgia. It suitably taps into the wonderment and imagination that makes us all want to experience adventure on a grand scale.

Whedon does a superb job at pacing a witty, leader-to-trailer blast into the outer limits. The acting is deft, backed up by playful banter and sharp-toothed jabs. The visuals are believable, grounded with familiar textures, realistic camera "movements" and rough edges, sans cheesy "futuristic" production design and campy starship wardrobe.

A tight, highly-entertaining triumph that has rightfully earned itself a hallmark spot in the sci-fi hall of fame and Whedon a director's chair in the otherworld pantheon.