TeenzTen An action-packed slog

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Tyreece Hulme One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Sean Lamberger William Shatner narrates a running tally of almost every nuclear weapons test run by the United States in the atomic age, from the 1945 breakthrough "Trinity" to 1963's "Nike Hercules" air defense missile. Almost as fascinating as the constant barrage of blooming orange mushroom clouds on the screen is the realization of just how recklessly fascinated our leaders actually were with this technology. It's a boys' world (or, at least, it was at the time) and so it's not entirely surprising that the men at the top of the food chain would want the biggest toy in the yard to parade around with. Still, it's tough to imagine anyone - even a selfish little brat - being so carefree with such volatile powers. The process almost parodies itself; when the US woefully underestimated the strength of "Castle," a blast twice as powerful as expected that accidentally irradiated sailors and villagers alike, they barely stopped to brush themselves off before launching additional blasts below the surface of the ocean, deep under the ground and in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. The latter of which, inadvertently, introduced us to the far-reaching powers of an EMP. The historical footage dug up for this documentary is riveting and amazing, fantastic fodder for fireball-lovers, but I couldn't stop wondering how we got through it all in one piece. These guys only thought they knew what they were doing, or had at best a vague idea, and in a lot of ways that's worse than just lighting the fuse and standing around with a clipboard and a pair of safety goggles.

dougandbethany-640-355777 This movie was shown during the US Air Force Academy's Chemistry of Weapons course as background for the nuclear weapons portion. A visually stunning documentary.I cannot believe the sheer ignorance collectively shown towards this movie. Apparently some think only 15 nuclear tests would have been necessary altogether instead of the 331 performed tests. Really??? Do you know why all of the harmful long-term side effects are now common knowledge? Because of these tests! I'm sorry you think they were so unnecessary, but what are your credentials to claim that 15 would have been enough? Did any of you know that there is a ring a few miles in diameter around both 'ground zeros' (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) where the local populous has a lower occurrence of cancer or any other birth defects than any other area (including the areas both closer and farther from the detonation site), leading scientists to the remarkable conclusion that our bodies may actually benefit from a small amount of radiation? (source is former head of Dept. of Chemistry, USAFA) And here everyone demonizes the US for both using the bomb during time of war as well as subsequent testing... what utter ignorance. People need to go look up the facts before making themselves look like idiots.

absolom7691 Many people have commented on this movie, giving it a bad review because it does not contain gory and shocking images from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This says a great deal about our audience today. The movie industry has spoiled us with blood and gore to the point where that is all we want to see. No, this doesn't have the blood and horror that some are looking for. Others on here have said that it is missing all of the shocking tests and terrible things that the government did long ago to people and animals. No, it does not contain that either. That being said, if you are looking for gory and disturbing, rent something else or just get archived footage of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki aftermath. If you are looking for a government conspiracies, go rent the X-Files and don't waste your time here.This movie is about the atomic bomb and its development. It has a brilliant score alongside William Shatner narrating. It is a collection of wonderfully remastered footage of many of our nuclear tests. I think this film really illustrates the horrific and terrifying beauty of an atomic bomb. I would dare say that it is art piece that gave me chills at the thought of what this device could do. Like I said, there is little to no gore or shocking footage so it would be safe for young people to watch and understand what these devices are and how unimaginable the repercussions of using this device. It is easy for young people to lose appreciation for such things as new video games and computer games have "nukes" to throw back and forth at the enemy without any real consequences.The only downside I found to this film is, though it presented itself as non-biased throughout most of it, it did leave an overtone of "The US is responsible and stopped using them for testing while other countries still do and they are poisoning the world..." It never comes out and says that, but it seems to allude to it when showing China's nuclear test after the US had banned atmospheric testing. Of course, like most of this review, it is only my opinion.

Paul Lindgren This film would have been nothing were it not for the outstanding scoring by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. The music amplifies the horror, the bizarre and grotesque beauty, the grandiose irony of this film and its subject. Shatner's fact-like voice is like monochrome, and never distracts from the subject with character. It is a purposefully amoral film to good effect. Without stretching far beyond the immediate implications of a nuclear blast, and by staying devoid of ideology, we are left with the terrible phenomenon itself - the atomic blast.To me, this was a real horror movie... sitting paralyzed, bug eyed, shocked, mouth agape and all that, complete with surround sound and weighty, ponderous Russian orchestrations in grotesque minor keys. You pray to God they make presidents watch films like these.I also thought the ending "However..." sequence was perfect. To say that weapons find rest in the hands of fools becomes a truly shocking understatement when you see the sheer unhinged lunacy of the final scene.