"Particle Fever" (2013 release; 99 min.) brings the story, spread over 5 years (2007-2012) of how the CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research, based in Geneva) is trying to decipher some of the biggest unresolved mysteries in physics, namely one particular particle, and how the composition of that particle may (or may not) explain some things about the universe (or is that multiverse?). The documentary opens with some background information on why this project, which started in the late 1980s with the construction of the super-collider, is happening in Europe, rather than the US. The, we get pretty much immersed into a crash course of experimental physics vs. theoretical physics, but to tell you much more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: first and foremost, this movie is about physics, but you don't have to be a physicist to enjoy this movie! Okay, if you absolutely hate the mere idea of physics, then maybe you shouldn't invest an hour and a half of your life on this. I don't have any capability to do anything in this field, yet I found myself enjoying this documentary from start to finish, in particular the debate over the economic value of this type of research (responds one of the physicists: "None, except it may explain everything", ha!). The documentary is primarily a series of interview of about 5 or 6 scientists, most of whom are at CERN. Yet again, it sounds deceptively boring, as it turns out these people have a whole lot of interesting things to share with the world. Bottom line is that I very much enjoyed this documentary.
"Particle Fever" opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and when I went to see it, an evening screening on a work day, I was very surprised to find that there were quite a few other people in the theater for this. If you are in the mood for a documentary that will entertain you yet also teach you a few things about physics in the most unexpected way, you can't go wrong with this. "Particle Fever" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Couple of comments: first and foremost, this movie is about physics, but you don't have to be a physicist to enjoy this movie! Okay, if you absolutely hate the mere idea of physics, then maybe you shouldn't invest an hour and a half of your life on this. I don't have any capability to do anything in this field, yet I found myself enjoying this documentary from start to finish, in particular the debate over the economic value of this type of research (responds one of the physicists: "None, except it may explain everything", ha!). The documentary is primarily a series of interview of about 5 or 6 scientists, most of whom are at CERN. Yet again, it sounds deceptively boring, as it turns out these people have a whole lot of interesting things to share with the world. Bottom line is that I very much enjoyed this documentary.
"Particle Fever" opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and when I went to see it, an evening screening on a work day, I was very surprised to find that there were quite a few other people in the theater for this. If you are in the mood for a documentary that will entertain you yet also teach you a few things about physics in the most unexpected way, you can't go wrong with this. "Particle Fever" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!