In April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the fo... Read allIn April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.In April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.
- Won 10 Primetime Emmys
- 87 wins & 60 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Chernobyl' is acclaimed for its gripping narrative, exceptional acting, and detailed recreation of the 1980s Soviet Union. Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, and Emily Watson are lauded for their performances. The series effectively conveys the horror and complexity of the Chernobyl disaster, highlighting human stories. However, some critics note inaccuracies, exaggerations, and creative liberties. Debates arise over the portrayal of the Soviet government and people, seen as overly negative and stereotypical. The use of English accents is also criticized for reducing authenticity. Despite these issues, many reviewers consider 'Chernobyl' a must-watch for its emotional impact and significant message.
Featured reviews
10stelmakh
A Belarusian here, born in 1983. Parents were scientists, knew everything on the 27th. Chernobyl is never forgotten in Belarus and all the details of the tragedy (a flawed reactor, Soviet style apparatchiks in control, a failed experiment, a clumsy cover-up) are widely known. Yet the series managed to depict the horrible events in a way never before seen. A definite tour de force, I had to literally pause a couple of times to comprehend what had just been shown. Goose bumps and tears, what a masterpiece. Likvidatory - heroes, who contained Chernobyl - should never be forgotten.
Grim Soviet atmosphere depicted accurately apart from some very very minor details. Surprised that a Swedish director who made music videos for Madonna and his English-speaking cast managed to portray Chernobyl events better, than anybody from the countries most traumatized by the explosion.
The tragedy will live forever because of this haunting masterpiece, what a brilliant creative achievement.
Grim Soviet atmosphere depicted accurately apart from some very very minor details. Surprised that a Swedish director who made music videos for Madonna and his English-speaking cast managed to portray Chernobyl events better, than anybody from the countries most traumatized by the explosion.
The tragedy will live forever because of this haunting masterpiece, what a brilliant creative achievement.
10Lladerat
Im ukrainian, born in 1988 and still live here. I want to give the authors of this show a big thumbs up for the whole set they have made. Every little detail of the buildings, flats, uniforms, clothes, cars, especially big thumbs up for ambulance "RAFiks" (RAF-2203), almost everything is 99% identical to the real things of the time, just a few mistakes on some signs that have been written in a mix of russian\ukrainian and some other unknown language, but it all doesnt matter, because what i have seen previously in other movies about soviets were so bad that its not even comparable to this. The other thing is this "comrade" word that almost everyone throws while calling or shouting at someone, its just one of those stereotypes thats still left in western world, in reality no one in an everyday life talked like that, especially not in Ukraine in 1986, it was mainly used in 'official' language in meetings and media, people just talked like you and i would today. Apart from this two small inaccuracies i am shocked at the level of production of this show, it is very good, no one outside of Ukraine has ever made a good tv series about Chernobyl before, i have a weird feeling it was made by someone from USSR, because there was zero moments where i cringed watching it. It was mostly "spot on", "spot on", "wow, spot on". Can't wait for the next episode!!!
I'm Russian. Amazing work! Newer, you hear this, never ever before western cinematography made such authentic film. I speak about details: cars, kitchens, clothes...
Hi. I'm from Kiev, Ukraine. I was born in 1983 and I was 2 and a half years when the Chernobyl catastrophe happened. I remember 1980s and I can tell that the authors of this film made a GREAT job to show every detail of what the world look for is in the times of Soviet union. The telephones, the clothes, the haircuts, the cracked paint on the window sills, even the door glass is similar to what I remember. There are couple of things which seemed weird to me: firefighters didn't have the red stars on their helmets, and most of the time people use the short forms of the names when they talk to each other (Vasya, not Vasiliy, Lyuda, not Lyudmila).
But the most important thing that this film shows is that the soviet authoritiies lied to people about this catastrophe all the time. For example, in Kiev which is 130 km from Chernobyl, nobody knew about the high levels of radiation till the middle of May, they even held a parade on the first of May, when the level of radiation in Kiev was 100 times higher than normal (iodine131 isotope) and nobody gave us the iodine pills. Everyone who tried to tell the truth was called the provocateur and could even be fired from work.
I highly recommend to watch this film. This is a tribute to all the heroes who lost their lives in a radioactive flame and saved all of us from death.
10thegldt
'Chernobyl' is scarier than most horror movies in that it is a dramatization of actual, real-life horror experienced by thousands of people on that fateful April 1986 morning and the years that followed. This disaster has haunted the nation, Europe, and the rest of mankind more than three decades later. And that creeping dread permeates the whole show. It's difficult to watch. But it certainly makes it a must-watch.
The Rise of Stellan Skarsgård
The Rise of Stellan Skarsgård
Stellan Skarsgård, known for his performances in the Pirates franchise, and the MCU films, stars in the HBO miniseries "Chernobyl." What other roles has he played?
Did you know
- TriviaFormer Soviet General Nikolai Tarakanov (Ralph Ineson), gave several interviews about the series, which fascinated the Russian public upon its release. Tarakanov took issue with a few small details but otherwise praised the series and its depiction of the events, and stated he was portrayed accurately. Tarakanov, 85 in 2019, suffers from chronic disease related to radiation exposure from his time in Chernobyl.
- GoofsPeople refer to each other in the form "Comrade-surname," which is inappropriate among colleagues. Dyatlov's subordinates would have called him "Dyatlov" among themselves and "Anatoly Stepanovich" (his first name and patronymic) when addressing him directly, rather than "Comrade Dyatlov." However, it is likely the writers decided against using the correct forms of address to avoid confusion with non-Russian viewers, who might think, for example, that Stepanovich is Dyatlov's surname.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Jeremy Vine: Episode #2.109 (2019)
- SoundtracksThe Door
Written By Hildur Guðnadóttir
- How many seasons does Chernobyl have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Chernobil
- Filming locations
- Vilnius, Lithuania(as Pripyat)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h(60 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.00 : 1
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