Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail

2015
8.3| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 09 August 2015 Ended
Producted By: Genepool Productions
Country: Australia
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://video.pbs.org/program/uranium-twisting-dragons-tail/
Synopsis

A stunning new documentary series exploring the incredible story of uranium, from its creation in an exploding star to its deployment in nuclear weapons, nuclear power, and nuclear medicine. It’s a journey across nine countries and more than a century of stories, to discover the rock that made the modern world. It’s part science, part history, and all epic adventure. Join physicist and YouTube phenomenon Dr. Derek Muller as he reveals the untold story of the most wondrous and terrifying rock on Earth.

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Reviews

Bryan Bjerke The show starts off promising, going over how Uranium was founded as well as it's properties. But then the it starts going off on its' destructive power. There was too much of that "Unleashing the Dragons Tail" nonsense going on. I was really hoping for more of an informative documentary, not some mythical tale. Towards the end of episode 1, he repeated way too much about what happened in Hiroshima. It sounded like it started to get too political. I then read the summaries of the next two episodes and knew exactly where it was going, so I decided to cut it off here. Overall - Starts off promising, but then gets too mythical for me.
Strazdamonas This documentary is very comprehensive and accessible look at Uranium and the power of atom. It starts from the very beginning of its discovery and goes all the way to Fukushima disaster.Both the benefits and the downsides of the power hidden in the manipulation of atom are explained and i found that it did not try to push either side, leaving the viewer to decide for himself. It simply presents facts and opinions of various scientists.The factual accuracy of this documentary, at least as far as i know, seems to be correct. All in all, this is definitely one for people interested in in Uranium and nuclear power.
v-p-petrov The movie is too one-sided, biased towards the negatives of nuclear power.The negative side (bombs and disasters) are presented fully.The positive side and new possibilities and technologies are however just mentioned quickly but not looked into. Having in mind that the current nuclear power plants are 50 year old technology, it would have been much more interesting to hear what is being done at the moment, are there groups (political or social) who work for the implementation of newer, safer and better technologies.Instead the movie is concentrated on saying (actually repeating about 20 times in the movie) that Uranium is a dragon that is dangerous and should not be touched.There is also not enough scientific explanation of how things work, why they work and what can be changed. No mention of methods for cleaning up waste, if someone is working on that and with what success.All in all pretty disappointing from Derek/Veritasium.
margaretbirde 'Brilliant a superb series'.Robyn Williams, The Science Show ABC Radio National.★★★★★★★★★ IMDb rating 9 Stars'The mix of science, politics and pop culture makes for a tale that's by turns terrifying and Utopian, but never less than fascinating.'Sunday Best, Karl Quinn, Sydney Morning Herald'The three-part documentary series gives the controversial element rock-star treatment .. Dr Muller's journey also delves into the ancient Aboriginal Dreamtime and the fantastical nature of the element, resulting in a colorful and engaging journey about an extraordinary rock.' Sunday Pick, Tiffany Fox, West Australian.' an enlightening, engaging film, with the cosmic history and chemistry of uranium well- explained. Muller's excitement over what's amazing can seem at odds with what is also horrifying But you will see him scared, too.'Robert Lloyd, Critics TV Picks Los Angeles Times '...brilliantly written and directed by Wain Fimeri presented with panache by Derek Muller undoubtedly one of the most talented science communicators of our time...This is one not to be missed.'Bill Condie, Cosmos Magazine Pick of the week, highlight of the day, Los Angles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, USA Today, Washington Post, San Francisco Cronicle.' "Uranium" is lively, engaging and informative ... a terrific - and slightly loopy - Muller tour of a single element. He's straight out of the school of Carl Sagan hosting - smart, lively, demonstrative, quirky. 'Verne Gay, Newsday TV Highlights - 'Physicist Derek Muller breaks down uranium's history and secrets in"Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail" 'Lauren McEwan, The Washington Post 'Get on it, it's one of the best science documentaries we've seen in a long time.'Science Alert'OMG OMG OMG OMG ‪@veritasium IS ON MY TV!!!!! ‪#Uranium' via Twitter'I was impressed by Muller's style and ability to explain complex subjects. He is full of energy, excitement, and curiosity and seems able to inspire his audience to adopt some of the same attitudes about learning. He's not just a communicator, he's an educator ..it is worth recommending to family, friends, acquaintances, students and strangers.'Atomic Insights