Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail (2015) User Reviews

Great documentary, but one gripe...

[robmanser-840-893117 · 8/10 · 27 September 2020]

Derek's a fantastic presenter and I've subscribed to his You Tube channels for years. The structure and format of the documentary is great.

Sadly, this documentary is ruined by the fact the entire script is in the present tense, even though it's a historical documentary talking about past events. Much of the time you can work out what he means, even if it does mean rewinding constantly to listen to bits you missed whilst thinking, but some of the time it's just crazily confusing. I almost switched off after ten minutes.

An excellent look at Uranium

[Strazdamonas · 10/10 · 17 November 2015]

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.

Excellent

[margaretbirde · 10/10 · 4 August 2015]

'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

An extraordinary introduction to uranium.

[Bernie4444 · 10/10 · 9 May 2024]

This is a well-put-together two-part documentary and overview of Uranium and the part it played in history; then the part it plays in our lives.

Even if you know the bulk of the information presented, there is always a different view or a piece of new information that will take you in a new direction.

I had to constantly stop the presentation to get more in-depth information and then continue with the presentation. Found programs that fill in the gaps that the presentation did not have time for. Also found a new walking trail.

You will want to watch it again to see the information that you may have missed while thinking about the last statement.

Simple and easy to understand.

[Mashmarriner · 10/10 · 30 June 2019]

As the title. It's very simple and easy to understand. The host helps the viewer understand science and you can tell, loves science.

Amazing, educational show.

Too One-Sided

[v-p-petrov · 2/10 · 6 August 2015]

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.

This review is based on episode 1 only

[bryno92 · 4/10 · 7 January 2018]

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.