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Reviews
Zero Hour (2004)
The most comprehensive and unbiased disaster documentary series that exists
I accidentally discovered Zero Hour on Amazon Prime several years ago when looking for an easy-to-understand account of what happened to cause the Chernobyl meltdown in the 80's. I had tried watching other documentaries about Chernobyl but found them difficult to follow because of the the science behind the disaster. I couldn't even grasp what a meltdown was at that point. Then, Zero Hour came along....
After being glued to my seat watching the production of Chernobyl, I had to watch Zero Hour's other documentaries. I found each episode to be complete with factual accounts of events leading up to some of the worst disasters in history. There was no bias behind the documentaries: just facts supported by recordings and data. These were presented in a simple, understandable way.
The reenactments in Zero Hour's episodes make you feel as though you are experiencing those events as they are happening yourself. I even found myself thinking "no, don't do that," through many of the episodes knowing what was going to happen and wishing that, somehow, the outcome could be changed. That's how realistic these documentaries are!
In a world filled with disgusting, conspiracy -filled, extremely unprofessional and biased media nowadays, I wish there were more shows like Zero Hour available. Man-made and natural disasters will continue to occur, so shows like these will never lack for content. It's similar in style to both "Seconds from Disaster" and the MAYDAY series. Anyone who enjoys those shows will equally enjoy this show. I highly recommend this series to anyone who wants to know what it was like to live through these disasters from the perspectives of people who lived through them.
Zero Hour: Disaster at Chernobyl (2004)
The most comprehensive coverage there is of Chernobyl
The first time I'd seen this documentary about Chernobyl was on Amazon Prime years ago. I was almost literally glued to my seat the entire time. Chernobyl's meltdown occured within a couple of years after the TV movie "The Day After" had aired. I was very worried we were going to have a nuclear winter despite being in the US - not Russia. I never understood what, exactly, a nuclear plant meltdown was or why it happened. As a result, I finally began looking for answers to this question a few years ago, and I was blown away after watching this documentary (pun intended).
Zero hour's production of the step-by-step account of events leading up to the Chernobyl meltdown was easy to follow and very comprehensive. The reenactments were outstanding and made it easier to picture what happened that day. I was surprised to learn that the events were essentially caused by a tyrant who was too prideful to listen to the warnings he'd received from his colleagues. I was also surprised to learn that his colleagues wouldn't stand up to the man and prevent the meltdown. That said a lot about Russian culture at that time.
I've watched other documentaries about Chernobyl and found them much harder to follow and have always come back to this episode when wanting to refresh my memory about events leading up to the meltdown of Chernobyl. The only thing is that I get Zero Hour and Seconds from Disaster mixed up with each other and forget which series produced this account of Chernobyl. I'd forgotten the name of this series a couple of years ago and panicked about it because I really wanted to watch it again. It's that good! I highly recommend this account of Chernobyl's meltdown to everyone and wish this was a mandatory documentary for highschool kids. No one should forget how carelessness and callousness can lead to the endless loss of many lives.