The film is based on real tragedies which happened during the Chernobyl disaster but the director’s intended emotional impact on viewers seems to have failed.
Chernobyl 1986, also known as Chernobyl: Abyss, is a Russian disaster movie first released in 2021. Born from the mind of director Danila Kozlovsky, who also plays the leading role, the action-packed film is based on the catastrophic nuclear explosion in Ukraine in 1986.
The Chernobyl disaster was down to a flawed design of a power plant and lack of health and safety, which led to a fire and huge release of radioactive material into the atmosphere. As a result, the toxicity spread far and wide, resulting in numerous deaths all put down to radiation poisoning.
Effects of this catastrophe led to substantial areas of Ukraine and Russia being contaminated, including thousands of deaths and disabilities related to the extreme exposure to radiation. The film itself focuses on the role of a fictionalised firefighter who becomes a liquidator, someone responsible for limiting the immediate and long-term effects of the disaster, working on the power plant.
Despite its dark themes, many viewers were unimpressed by the film’s retelling of events. One Rotten Tomatoes review states:”The movie focuses on such trivial and messed-up aspects that, as a viewer and as someone whose loved ones were directly impacted, I was genuinely offended.
“Even though I was born in 2001, I know more about the stories from that time than this stupid and boring movie portrays. In contrast, there’s an HBO series that I highly recommend watching. Unlike this movie, it actually tries to take a tragic event and explain it properly. This movie is an embarrassment—one that never should have existed.”
While a critic added: “A flawed movie that tries to tell a personal tale surrounded by a large tragedy. There are some moving moments, but the lack of strong characters is noticeable.”
Others have praised the film for its accuracy. One review reads: “The film recounts the events from the normal and apparently peaceful perspective of a common citizen of Chernobyl at that time, which highlights the innocence of the inhabitants of that town before the event and their being totally oblivious to the government decisions that caused the catastrophe. Everything is well planned: the immersion in the time, the planes, the special effects, the frustration, the uncertainty and, above all, the political situation of the Soviet Union.”
Danila Kozlovsky, before taking on this challenging topic, was best known across Europe for his role in the TV show The Vikings as well as movies such as Vampire Academy and Soulless. It’s thought that he was on set for the historical drama series when the idea for the disaster film was forwarded to him from Ukrainian director Alexander Rodnyansky.
Rodnyansky himself had filmed the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster firsthand and had shared it was a “career-long ambition” of his to create a film retelling the events he witnessed. Chernobyl 1986 is that very film, and he supported its creation as a producer, but many critics claim the 2019 miniseries, Chernobyl, did a better job at portraying the tragedy.
A viewer said: “The HBO series far surpasses any attempts at storytelling that the 2021 “Chernobyl” attempts to offer, including highlighting the heroism and sacrifice of so many brave people.”
In contrast, one viewer felt the film was a “great adaptation from true events”. They wrote: “I know it’s hard to create these adaptations; trying to find the balance between reality and making something palatable for a series can be very difficult. Chernobyl accomplishes this without losing sight of the truth. Their presentation of the material is honest and open and does not spend its time budget on needless dramatics to make its point.”
Chernobyl: 1986 is streaming on Netflix now.