Chernobyl (2019) Review

Chernobyl (2019)

Chernobyl follows Dr. Valery Legasov and his efforts to mitigate catastrophic damage following the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the dismissive response from Soviet officials that likely killed thousands. 

Adapted from the book Voices of Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich, Chernobyl is a series about power, or at least the idea of power, and how lies ultimately have a price. A price that would come due on April 26, 1986 with the explosion inside reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. From the get-go, it’s the lies and deceit within the Soviet Union that stand out the most, with everyone’s concern lying more on party interests than the fact that one of their nuclear reactors exploded (previously thought impossible in an RBMK reactor) releasing the radioactive equivalent of 400 Hiroshima bombs. Obviously, this damage is what sets the stage for the rest of the series, which from then on, is done wonderfully, becoming a scientific, character-focused drama that places the human cost perpetually at the forefront. 

Dr. Legasov constant uphill battle to not only contain the impact of Chernobyl, but prove that it even happened deeply embeds the show with a sense of conspiracy and haste, as the effects only worsen while the Soviet government only seeks to cover their tracks. It’s depressing really, feeling all too relevant to our own times, as the symptoms of radiation sickness befall so many in terrifying fashion, only for the science to still be dismissed, especially after Legasov’s shocking testimony that directly called out the USSR lies and shady practices that directly led to Chernobyl’s accident. 

We get a phenomenal cast as well, starring Adrian Rawlins, Sam Troughton, Adam Nagaitis, Ralph Ineson, Barry Keoghan, Con O’Neill, Jessie Buckley, Paul Ritter, Emily Watson, Stellen Skarsgård, and Jared Harris. Harris is nothing short of fantastic, toeing that line between brilliance and hopelessness that anyone on now borrowed time would have, with some equally as gripping performances from Watson and Skarsgård, who act as dueling sides to Harris’ internal self. 

Chernobyl, directed by Johan Renck, is a tale of lies and cowardice, of courage and conviction, and of human failure and nobility in the eyes of certain death, inviting us to see Chernobyl for how and why it truly happened while honoring those who prevented it from being more. 

9.8/10