Chernobyl HBO Mini-series Review

"What is the cost of lies?". HBO's Chernobyl portrays the answer to a seemingly simple question in a hard-hitting, impactful way. We now live in a time where people spend all the time, effort and resources to recreate real-life events to perfection, to transport you, the viewer to such locations, and make you feel like you are actually there. You feel as if you stood on that bridge at Pripyat, witnessed first-hand the nuclear reactor exploding, and then became the unfortunate victim of what was a catastrophic man-made disaster.

So what makes this show undeniably good? Does it deserve the 9.6 rating it currently has on IMDb? Well, let's find out!

One of Chernobyl's strongest plus points is that it stayed very close to reality. They say that reality is the scariest form of horror, and this show was able to show you how horrifying radiation poisoning get, how costly can inefficiency and lies be. This was achieved through excellent storytelling, screenplay, production values, direction, and acting. You are so engrossed in what's happening that you keep waiting for what's going to happen next, and you feel sad for the people affected by Chernobyl. The undying, fearless spirit of the people, who had nothing to do with the disaster, but helped anyway was captured very well. Reminded me of the 2015 Chennai floods, when every citizen came together to help, irrespective of their differences.

When it comes to storytelling, the show wastes no scene, wastes no time in boring dialogues, and maintains the realism throughout. Restricting it to just 5 episodes was a wise decision. The scenes transition smoothly, every storyline in each of the 5 episodes were necessary, impactful and intriguing. Yes, it is slow, a lot of talking happens between characters, but it all felt natural, contained and real. You get a clear picture of what problems the characters were facing, and what measures they were taking to mitigate/eliminate the problem. This was because the show does a wonderful job in explaining to you the science behind it all. As a non-science student, you initially feel a little confused as to what these terms are, but later when it is explained so meticulously to you, it brings you in the same page as the characters are. This show does what is generally called "exposition scenes" to perfection. I feel like I have earned a Ph.D. in nuclear physics after watching this show!

Chernobyl has some of the most iconic, intense and thrilling scenes I have ever seen, such as the "90 seconds on the plant's roof", the scene with the 3 divers, and pretty much the entire finale, which was epic from start to finish. This was achieved mainly due to the music and the sound design, which was simply outstanding! It was offbeat, unique, and definitely helped in setting a bleak, haunting and creepy atmosphere. The distorting sound of the Geiger counters going haywire when people moved close to the radiation-affected areas, the music that plays when the people were being evacuated, and one of my personal favorites, "Vichnaya Pamyat", which was played during the epilogue, were done to perfection.

Coming to the acting, it seemed like almost every character or an extra who was a part of this show did well. Obviously, special mentions go to our 2 main leads, Jared Harris as Valery Legasov, and Stellan Skarsgård as Boris Scherbina. Both played out their real-life counterparts very well. Took me a while to realize that Jared Harris was also James Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Chernobyl proves that the man has range. Would love to see him in more roles.

Another thing I liked about this show is that it never goes over the top with any violence or gore, to show the effects of radiation poisoning. It was rather done very well here. It was as realistic as it could possibly be. The rule of "show, don't tell" was done masterfully. Episode 3 of the series is a tough one to get through. Chernobyl really doesn't hold back when showing you what actually happens in case of incidents like these.

Special mention goes to the finale, which was simply the finest television one has witnessed. Masterfully written dialogues, combined with sharp editing, visuals, and fantastic acting make you feel like you are lucky to be born in this era, to witness shows like these. In fact, my rating for this show was moved up a few notches simply due to the finale.

So why such high ratings you may ask? Look at the news articles, reviews on IMDb and other platforms, and other forums, and you will see that people from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia who had actually gone through the experience have praised the show for its accuracy in the costumes, the reactor plant and other nearby buildings, and the overall environment. I believe the 9.6 rating goes not just for the acting, cinematography, storytelling or the visuals, but rather for the respect the show has earned, evidenced by such reviews. While the science explained in the show is still debated on its accuracy, I could see that the showrunners definitely had taken the effort to explain and induce the same in the show.

One very minor nitpick I have is that I expected to be shown a little more from the general public's point of view, and to experience actual emptiness of the town while watching the show. I really have no other negatives to say.

With all this said, my rating for HBO's Chernobyl would be 9.8/10. This show is a definite must-watch by all, but remember, it's not for the faint-hearted. It must not be watched as a normal drama show that's based on real events, it must be watched as something to experience!

(For those who have watched the show, I give it 15,000/3.6 roentgen. Definitely great, not terrible at all!)