This documentary contains lots of impressive footage of atomic explosions. Those "atomic mushrooms" are frightening, yet beautiful.
I just wish the whole documentary were a bit more informative. For instance, instead of showing one explosion after another, I wish they had explained the difference between a regular atomic bomb and a hydrogen bomb, for instance. And what's a "thermo-nuclear" bomb? Furthermore, I was missing a more critical view of the risks of atomic weapons. The social and political implications of nuclear weapons are barely touched upon. This would have been so much more interesting than just mentioning codenames for various tests and their corresponding explosive power, measured in "kilotons" and "megatons".
Where were all the ridiculous American propaganda movies (like the classic "Duck and Cover")? What about other countries with nuclear weapons programs besides the USSR and China? All in all, the whole movie casts a picture of the atomic weapons race which is too neat and uncritical.
All in all, the movie feels like a new piece of American propaganda: We are the good guys ("nuclear weapons are good and necessary, and we are great because we invented them"), and they are the bad guys ("they only use those weapons to put us and the free world in danger").
I just wish the whole documentary were a bit more informative. For instance, instead of showing one explosion after another, I wish they had explained the difference between a regular atomic bomb and a hydrogen bomb, for instance. And what's a "thermo-nuclear" bomb? Furthermore, I was missing a more critical view of the risks of atomic weapons. The social and political implications of nuclear weapons are barely touched upon. This would have been so much more interesting than just mentioning codenames for various tests and their corresponding explosive power, measured in "kilotons" and "megatons".
Where were all the ridiculous American propaganda movies (like the classic "Duck and Cover")? What about other countries with nuclear weapons programs besides the USSR and China? All in all, the whole movie casts a picture of the atomic weapons race which is too neat and uncritical.
All in all, the movie feels like a new piece of American propaganda: We are the good guys ("nuclear weapons are good and necessary, and we are great because we invented them"), and they are the bad guys ("they only use those weapons to put us and the free world in danger").