The Beginning and End of the Universe (2016) User Reviews

I Didn't Know That They Still Made Documentaries Like This

[masercot · 10/10 · 2 February 2018]

Well, I'm shocked. I was prepared for another documentary that assumed a viewer IQ of about seventy and got someone quite interesting and enjoyable. The host of the show doesn't talk down to the viewer and seems to not only know about the subject but to actually be interested in it. Math is shown... not differential equations or anything that advanced but taking the time to do the arithmetic on red shift was a nice look into how an astrophysicist might scratch something out on a scrap of paper while discussing something with a colleague. They show us the bumps on a spectrograph and spend some time on it. It's an important piece of equipment in so many fields. But, what I liked best was I actually learned a thing or two; and, if piqued my interest.

If you like the older Cosmos series, with Carl Sagan, this is kind of comparable.

Thorough explanation of the universe as we know it and how it might end.

[TxMike · 6 December 2016]

I found this 2-part program on Netflix streaming, each part is just under an hour.

I am a scientist, but not an astrophysicist. I have been interested most of my life in space and the stars, the size and workings of the universe. I have seen a number of programs related to our universe and the theory that it all started with a "big bang." But this one presents all that in a way that I found a bit better than the others.

The host is British theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili. He is very personable and explains things in a way that a non-physicist can understand. The title of the miniseries relates to both the beginning, the theorized "big bang" some 13+ Billion years ago, and the possibility of the "big crunch" when gravity pulls it all back together untold billions of years in the future. Or the other possibility, that dark energy will keep the galaxies accelerating way from each other until everything is so far apart the universe will be dark, after all the stars burn out and no more hydrogen is available for fusion.

A good feature of the program is that it includes a number of people and their discoveries that are not so well-known but provided important steps towards where we are today.

Good program.

A Unique Underrated Gem

[ryanhughes-27533 · 10/10 · 22 February 2022]

I have been watching all of the top rated space/cosmology/physics documentaries and television shows for well over a decade and for whatever reason, this particular program is unparalleled in terms of explaining somewhat complicated topics in a way that actually makes it "click". I feel like most of the documentaries out there give you an almost wikipedia-like summary of the topics covered, but in this program the presenter is able to articulately convey the ideas in subjective terms that really allow you to understand what is being presented.