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Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie

Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $19.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Terrifying yet strangely beautiful.
Review: Definately the best documentary I've seen on nuclear weapons so far. From Trinity to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, this superb film touches on just about everything. I have to praise it for being one of the few documentaries with an un-biased approach to nuclear weapons that I've seen, leaving the viewer to their own opionins and conclusions. The terrifying yet strangely beautiful footage set to a wonderful and dramaitc score provides the viewer with a memorable history lesson.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Best A-Bomb Test Footage You May Ever See
Review: You won't learn very much about the science of the creation of the bomb, nor of the politics involved in it's development or deployment, but if you want to see lovingly restored and mastered bomb footage, some of which has never been seen by the public- then this is the DVD for you.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Creepy....
Review: To think that we have lived most of our lives with nuclear weapons hanging over our heads and thought life was normal. This movie will show you just what could be in store for us should some jerk push the button. Like some of the other reviewers, I would have like a more insighful and technical story, but I accept this movie for what it is. The incredible number of tests shown are something else. I also learned how many tests the USA conducted, eliminating entire atolls, and how we even accelerated our testing in anticipation of a test ban. No wonder the Russians were afraid of us. Not a movie for everyone, but a great reminder of what is possible in our world. Let's hope not.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Big disappointment!
Review: I was so disappointed by this movie! I expected an interesting, insightful, educational look at the making of the atomic bomb. Instead, I got silly effects and empty commentary. The footage of the test bombs was interesting, but if you are expecting to learn anything new about the history of the atomic bomb, you will be disappointed. It seems the director was more interested in using special effects than in providing any substance. If you really want to watch this movie, I recommend turning the sound off and just watching the footage! By the way, the 3-D effects are not that good.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Very Hard Movie to Rate
Review: It is quite hard to rate this documentary. On the one hand the footage is cleaned up so well and the sound quality so fantastic. On the other hand the narration leaves you with so many unanswered questions. The movie is so matter of fact yet the issues, in reality, go to the very core of every human life.

I enjoyed watching the stunning visual display but would have liked less music to get a more real, and life like, feel of what it is like to be near an atomic blast.

Some of the unanswered, and unasked, questions would be what is currently known of the effects of all those tests, under water, under ground, high in the stratosphere, and just above ground? What kinds of radiation was released and how long does it last and how can it effect life today?

I am giving this documentary three stars but I still suggest it. I suggest it along with some other documentaries to fill in the gaps that this one leaves. The Atomic Cafe is a good place to start. No one beats the technical skill of this documentary however.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jaw Dropping
Review: The footage will leave you stunned and jaw dropped. The music, ironically performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, is excellent. The film doesn't worry about getting into the technical nitty-gritty and so will be appealing to a wide audience, although hard-core nuke-geeks might get a little miffed. The movie clearly places its emphasis on visuals rather than a lot of narration, but the historical information and what little narration there is is both well timed and educational. One thing to watch for is the interviews with former scientists that worked on some of the nuclear projects. It's unsettling (although understandable given their task) that people should talk about such devices so flatly and unemotionally. This is a film that everyone should see because it puts the unimaginable power and horror of atomic weapons in clear perspective.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beautifully Frightening
Review: If there was ever a production that captures the beautiful essence of humans' most horrifying achievement, this is it! Never a slow moment and always exciting is the general pacing of this explosive motion picture from the talented Peter Kuran. I cannot wait to receive the DVD so that I can watch and watch and watch and...well, you get the picture.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Beyond Scary
Review: The power with which mankind has set forth upon the world with the simple goal of killing their fellow man. As each generation builds upon the last, it is the technological advances of military power which seep their way downward toward the eventual "peaceful" societal use. However, as is evident in the contents of this DVD, never before has such a weapon been produced that so many wish could be "uninvented."

"Trinity and Beyond" is not a glorification of the Cold War and the arms race that ensued from it. Rather, it is a harsh criticism of the game of brinksmanship that led us closer and closer to crossing the line toward mutually assured destruction. The footage is fascinating, Shatner's narration superb, yet the only word capable of describing this documentary is... unsettling. As the power of these bombs increases as movie goes on, the sweat will begin to bead on your forehead as it slowly dawns on you that for half a century, nuclear technology ruled us.

This is not a political documentary. It does not explain the causes of nuclear proliferation, nor does it set blame. It merely shows the power of God in the hands of mere mortals, and makes you think about whether or not we are evolved enopugh to handle that which we have set forth upon the Earth.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Probably one, if not the best, documentaries ever!
Review: This film (which I originally taped off TLC) is amazing! You get to see some of the most beautiful, but at the same time horrifying images ever. The score to this film is excellent, in some parts even chilling - to go with the mood. You see so much you never even knew the USA or Russia were capable of doing. The testing on animals footage was new and, after seeing the pigs get fried, is kind of sick. I didn't know they even filmed all these blasts, and how many they actually did! It leaves you in a sort-of scared state at the end. Makes you wonder about the future...and the future of mankind.

I recommend this to anyone who is interested in the military, nuclear weapons (not if you're a freak) and anyone who likes documentaries! Get it as soon as possible!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Big Bada-Boom
Review: Absolutely mind-blowing. The majority of the images in this film will stay with me forever... The first thermonuclear blast... the 50 megaton bomb set off by the Soviet Union... The Chinese army riding on horses with gasmasks into a mushroom cloud. The "Greatest Generation" was frickin' insane.

Kudos to Peter Kuran and VCE for a job well done.


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