Chernobyl [4K UHD]

This miniseries looks quite good on 4K Blu-ray. The colors on this series are purposely muted so you are not going to see the colors "pop", that was a directorial choice, but you will be treated to a very sharp image with HDR, and since "Chernobyl" was actually shot and mastered in native 4K, you won't be watching an image up converted from 2K, but will be watching REAL 4K.This well acted and well written true story miniseries tells of the most infamous nuclear disaster in history--and tells that story unusually well.We see many different parts of the disaster from multiple points of view.We witness the events through the eyes of the nuclear operators in the control room of the reactor who followed proper procedure to stop the meltdown from happening and wound up unexpectedly triggering the explosion by doing so (completely unaware of the dangerous flaw in the reactor design that was ultimately responsible for what happened). We also witness events through the eyes of those firefighters on the ground who walked into a situation their training could never have prepared them for (and many of whom paid for that with their lives), we see it through the eyes of the investigators who were shocked to discover the directly exposed core so radioactive it was ionizing the smoke above the blasted and battered reactor building making it glow weirdly--and who then had to figure out exactly why the reactor did the seemingly impossible by exploding when all the proper safety measures were taken to prevent it. We also see events through the eyes of the scientist who discovers her government is lying about the seriousness of the accident when, in the process of her research, she finds the city she lives in is being dangerously irradiated even at such a distance from Chernobyl. And we witness it through the eyes of the nuclear investigator who eventually finds the flaw in the reactor design which caused the disaster, and then is shocked to discover that this same flaw is present in ALL Soviet built reactors--and who is later even more shocked to find that the government would rather make believe there was no flaw to save embarrassment to themselves, than to actually fix the ticking time bombs in their other reactors in order to prevent the same thing from almost surely happening again.My favorite of all was the final episode, in which the government hearing on the disaster takes place. By having the experts explain the technical details in ordinary everyday terms to the non-scientists on the government commission, the events of this tragedy are made just as clear to we the non-scientist viewers. And the explanation of what went wrong and why was utterly fascinating--the flawed emergency system to be used to stop a meltdown dead in its tracks when needed would really cause the reactor to do the opposite if it was actually used in such an emergency scenario!Although the series may have taken a while to draw me in, once it had me it never let go. I couldn't stop until I had watched it all the way to the end--and I'm so glad that I did! This series was very well done and truly eye opening!Chernobyl is an above average miniseries about a real life nuclear disaster and the 4K Blu-ray looks very good. As I mentioned earlier, Chernobyl was actually shot and mastered in native 4K, which rendered a superior image on the disc to many other offerings which are instead up converted from 2K masters.Why TV series and miniseries are usually not released on 4K Blu-ray the way movies are is a mystery to me. In the entire history of the format only Westworld, Chernobyl and Game of Thrones (and spin-off House of the Dragon) and now Halo have ever been released in 4K. I know buyers would swallow up 4K collections of shows like The Mandelorian, The Expanse, Loki, The Crown, The Umbrella Academy, The Orville (which looks great in 4K, but is criminally only released on disc in the standard definition DVD format--not even in high definition!), and so many others if they were simply made available on 4K Blu-ray.Never the less, we do have 5 shows available in the format and Chernobyl is one of them.I recommend the purchase of this truly fascinating miniseries on 4K Blu-ray. Since even HBO Max doesn't show any of its own programs (other than "Game of Thrones" or "House of the Dragon") in 4K for some inexplicable reason, this is the only way to view it in the format it was actually filmed and mastered in--and beyond that it is also an excellent miniseries that is very much worth seeing. You can truly see it at its very best on this 4K Blu-ray edition.

Great miniseries. Extremely relevant today in showing how important it is to have a truthful government. The Soviet Union was a bad government and did not survive one good leader, Gorbachev. Right now it isn't clear if USA will survive a bad leader who does not accept or tell the truth...

loved every episode

It was an odd experience, watching HBO’s Chernobyl for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic. With lying governments, concern with humiliation over human lives, and countless deaths to an invisible enemy, the story Chernobyl feels hauntingly relevant. Legasov throughout the show constantly asks “what are the cost of lies”, and if the global health crisis and a post-truth America has taught us anything, it’s that we are still reckoning for with these very same questions today.“The truth doesn't care about our needs or wants, it doesn't care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie in wait for all time and this at last is the gift of Chernobyl. Where I once would fear the cost of truth, now I only ask: what is the cost of lies?”The show itself is brilliantly told, and possibly one of the best historical dramas I’ve ever seen. The way information about the Chernobyl disaster is conveyed to the audience feels Hitchcockian, almost like a thriller or a suspense film. Yet despite this, it’s never exploitative. Every scene’s intention is in the story and it’s message, not in trying to thrill or excite. It’s a tricky balance to be respectful and interesting, but the filmmakers nailed that balance.The amount of care and respect that was given to be historically accurate is admirable, and I highly recommend listening to the official HBO Chernobyl podcast to get more insight into the real story. I unfortunately had a minimal knowledge of this his event, and I feel like the show and the podcast together have done a good job filling the gaps.The cinematography and music are incredible, and it creates a moody atmosphere of dread and horror. The acting across the board is just phenomenal, and the show really presents the personal struggles of the individuals alongside the broader disaster in a way that feels very human. A particular sequence that stood out to me was an emotionally powerful journey in the exclusion zone in episode 4, but I won’t spoil that here.The writing is beautiful and moving, if a little embellished at times. I can forgive the filmmakers for being a bit heavy handed when the story and characters are so impactful.Chernobyl is tragic and powerful. It’s excellent filmmaking across the board elevates the what could have been a typical historical drama into something haunting and absorbing. The human cost of lies has never before been so profoundly told cinematically. I hope this work immortalizes the story, and that we never forget the real life heroes who gave their lives to save so many.

Got tired of paying for a Max subscription every few months just to watch this show. Was happy to find this was only 20 bucks. Easily worth it. Without a doubt one of the top miniseries of all time. Very few shows can I watch it so frequently without it getting old. Absolutely love it. Incredible acting across the board.

Anybody that thinks nuclear energy is a good idea. Needs to watch this movie a few times then research all of the nuclear disasters that occurred.