The Bomb (2015 TV Movie) User Reviews

E=MC2=MC2=MC2=MC2 - To Infinity And Beyond

[strong-122-478885 · 7/10 · 4 July 2016]

Even though I thought that this 2-hour history-documentary (from PBS) did tend to go on for a bit too long - I still felt that it was certainly interesting enough to hold my undivided attention, for the most part.

Through stills and vintage film-clips (as well as interviews with Historians and Weapons Designers) - "The Bomb" offered the viewer a very informative and in-depth history of the atomic bomb, starting from year that it was first created (and first detonated) back in 1945, 70 years ago.

And, even though it's hard to believe sometimes - (The truth is) - To this very day, we all still live in the oppressive shadow of the atomic bomb.

And, with that in mind - We can only hope that through the clear understanding of this weapon's mighty destructive power, man will, hopefully, have the sound intelligence and clear foresight to keep his itchy finger off the button.

Nuclear bombs, a complete history. And very scary!

[TxMike · 2 August 2015]

I managed to see this, uninterrupted, on PBS. Superb documentary that everyone deserves to see.

I was born shortly after the two nuclear bombs were dropped on Japan, deemed then to be a necessary evil to get Japan to surrender. In the 1950s I remember the drills school children had to do in the event of a nuclear attack from the USSR. So "the bomb" and all it implies has been with me my whole life. Those born after about 1960 really have only a vague idea.

The idea for a nuclear bomb came when scientists examined some fission products and, using Einstein's energy-mass formula, realized how much energy release could occur. WW2 was not going well and a large, secretive operation in very remote location amassed all the best minds to design and build nuclear bombs.

This documentary covers all that in its first half, and includes many interviews with some of the project's scientists. And it includes footage of the bombing in Japan and the aftermath.

The second half covers the ensuing nuclear bomb manufacture and testing through the 1950s and 1960s. Mostly the U.S. and the Soviets "one-upping" each other in a Cold War. And the inevitable understanding that no one wins in an all-out nuclear war. It really is man's creation which can destroy all humanity.

Really, every person over the age of 17 or so should see this documentary.

Camera work is very distracting

[kyoden-52044 · 5/10 · 20 January 2018]

The camera work done in this video is shot like a high schooler got a little carried away with video editing. Very distracting. Why do they do this? There is also a great amount of the story left out and some of this makes it quite misleading as well as it would make it a lot more interesting. I could go on, but if you are truly interested in the Manhattan project, do more research yourself.

Nuclear History for Gen Z - Remember to Think for Yourself

[UsmanSajjad000 · 4/10 · 18 April 2020]

'The Bomb' (2015) provides a historical account of the humanity's most destructive weapons i.e. nuclear bombs starting in the 1930s up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and comments in short on the current global situation.

It will prove quite informative especially for the young generations who have not lived through any major nuclear crises. One can see in hindsight the steps humanity took in weaponising a scientific discovery leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands at the hands of such devices.

However, I did not like the impartial and supremacist comments; one such example from the documentary is a person saying that the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki paid for their sins. Deaths of thousands of citizens, including women and children, appear to be justified from the filmmakers viewpoint. The recklessness in radiation protection, especially while conducting the Hydrogen Bomb tests is also quickly skimmed over. It's hypocritical to comment on the chances and the consequences of other nations using nuclear weapons, even though United States remains the only nation to have done so.

Nevertheless, The Bomb provides a very good collection of media to go with the events from the pages of history and so I recommend watching it but... reread the title.