The new Chernobyl 1986 movie is about to drop, here’s all the details
Don’t adjust your TV set, you’re not seeing double – there is another Chernobyl dramatisation on the way, only this time it’s coming to Netflix.
When HBO entered our lives with ‘Chernobyl’ the mini-series in 2019, it was an assault on the senses. An unmissable and brutal five-part series documenting the heroes and villains behind the worst nuclear disaster that mankind has ever seen. Even if you didn’t plan to watch it, you still did. The hype around it, let alone the 10 Emmy Awards, made it compulsive viewing.
And only a story of such shock and awe could spawn so many different iterations of it, which is why the Chernobyl 1986 movie is about to drop. Yes, another one.
Watch The Trailer: Chernobyl 1986 Netflix
Chernobyl – The Background
If you’re unfamiliar with the true-life story, the Chernobyl accident was the result of a defective reactor in the nuclear power plant, manned by a team of grossly underqualified engineers. When the reactor exploded, it created a nuclear disaster, with radiation distributed locally and further afield in Europe.
And as we now know, this had a devastating impact on the environment, and those living in and around the area. It resulted in thousands of people getting thyroid cancer, and thousands more evacuated from their homes, never to return to the contaminated areas again.
Everything we know about the Netflix movie
Back in April, Netflix unveiled the trailer for its Chernobyl 1986 movie entitled “Chernobyl: Abyss”. Right from the get-go, the spine-chilling music prepares you for what’s to come. And even though you know how this ends, you’re not quite sure where it begins…
In the film, we follow the heart-breaking and haunting story of Alexey Karpushin – a young and heroic fireman who worked as one of the Chernobyl liquidators. What makes it all the more disturbing, is that it’s based on a series of events that actually happened.
Played by Danila Kozlovsky (writer, director and producer of the movie), Alexy has returned to Pripyat to be reunited with Olya – the love of his life, after splitting a decade before.
Devastated by her refusal to rekindle their love (and upon discovery that they now have a child together), he quits his job to relocate to Kiev. However, in a cruel twist of fate, this coincides with the devastating explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power station, where he’s thrown back into danger.
Do we need another Chernobyl movie?
The HBO Chernobyl mini-series was an unlikely breakout hit. The impressive casting, (including Emily Watson, Stellen Skarsgard and Jared Harris to name a few) and fully immersive storyline showed both the darkness and the triumph of the human spirit.
It gave us reason to hope, to be grateful, and to reflect on the series of events that would change the world forever. Uncanny timing you might say.
And like all good adaptations, it follows the human stories behind the tragedy. The HBO series just chartered a few of them, but there are many more renditions to uncover, which is where Chernobyl 1986 steps in, telling the untold story of one of the many courageous liquidators that served during this unthinkable episode.
That’s not all, of course.
Following the success of the HBO series, it’s said that Russian filmmakers were inspired to produce their own interpretation of events that unfolded in Soviet Ukraine on that ill-fated day in April 1986 – hence the latest Chernobyl movie.
But it has a lot to live up to.
The Chernobyl 1986 IMDb 2021 rating weighs in at 4.3/10, compared to 9.4/10 for the HBO Series – making it one of the highest-rated TV series of all time. Now it’s down to the viewers to decide if this will be another breakout hit.
Streaming July 21 on Netflix.
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