User reviews

Surprisingly, the movie has no pre-disaster story about a random family, lovers, or civilians. It starts by providing all the attention to the incident, like a documentary with a clear timeline.

If you're familiar with the Japanese culture, you will not say the movie is full of overacting & chaotic screams, cause there are none. The discipline of the plant employees and their sense of responsibility implied throughout the movie is heartwarming.

As we get to hear, it was a disaster that happened due to underestimating nature. But the effort they take to prevent it from happening feels real. Those people who actually worked in the plant are heroes.

The acting is fine, realistic. If you could live in there for 2 hours, you'll feel your tears streaming down at some point in the movie.

As Japanese, we have to keep thinking why our nation was helped out of ultimate destruction at that time. Major element might have been simply a chance, considering the fact that we could hardly understand what was going on.

However, it is also true that nuclear engineers struggled for their lives in order to save Japan. Common people behaved calmly amid such a hopeless situation. It was not because somebody ordered them to do so but they originally had the sense of mission. Their noble sense was well expressed in this work.

Memory of Fukushima disaster must not be forgotten. I hope this movie can contribute to this purpose.

( there been people making multiple accounts rating bombing negative review on this site... no reason to care anymore rate like or neg reviews people do this to make a statement their own person basis(s)) to them its a game.

................. When this happened, it was unreal. Nothing in my years have experienced could help me better understand this. The earth quack was first. But after the meltdown everyone in Tokyo was told the radiation clouds winds hit us. There was no escape. But as the winds changed it was then safe. This movie is low budget, but does that matter? No, what is the people that gave their self's to help stop this. Its just not the 50 but the 10,000s that hurt by the fallout. What sad is this current virus prevented this movie to get this respect it should get. Its a must see. Thank you.

Reactors and their issues ... well actually it is us humans who have the issues, when those reactors have "incidents". Man made, nature made (although one may argue that man is responsible for a lot of the nature catastrophes) or however else ... these things happen! Now I am not an engineer or an expert, so I can't say if or how this would have been possible to avoid.

I can say that the movie is quite tension filled and shows us personal heroism - something you may expect from Japanese and something we have seen in a TV show about Tschernobyl too. Good actors and quite the harrowing retelling of what occured. I do expect there to be a bit of exaggeration to say the least ... but what movie does not do that? Even documentaries heighten certain things for better effect. Real life Drama, real life "heroes" ...

Being Engineer, I think Power Generators should be located at height & backwards ( not sea facing ). May save the Blast which happened at Nuclear Site in Fukushima in 2011 duebto Tsunami.

A movie to see if we want to know more about the disaster of fukushima but the acting is a disaster except for Ken Watanabe.

You should know that this film which is based on a book is very criticized by the Japanese because the reality was much more consensual than the film claims to show the viewer.

11032011, a date ill always remember, not because i was there, no, its 2 days before my birthday. but i remember the images flowing the screens, but for us norwegians, the fukushima incident was barely mentioned.the main issue was the tsunami, that killed and wrecked so much.

this is not a documentary, its a drama about the heroes, doing heroic things in a heroic way to save japan from the radiation. it shows also the ignorance from to politicians who orders in east and west over things they have no knowledge about. its made for the layman tv-viewer, withthe lines of command, and the bending and bowing and kamikaze like behaviour for the love of my country, etches alltrough the plot.

but i saw it and i do not regret. but if you want the more abstract version, then seek information in the documentary world.the grumpy old man says 5.

TV drama strives for authenticity in a semi-documentary style, but - although presenting many facts - it appears almost in its staging and with most of the performances (Ken Watanabe the only exception) and seems to have been made only half-heartedly.

I watched this movie the first time on Netflix in Europe. It was pretty good, good actors, bit cheap CGI but ok, as far as Japanese movies go, it's pretty decent. However, there were some jarring cuts to "American" soldiers and "American" embassy personnel that completely changed the tone of the movie, putting a spin on it that it the poor Japanese should be helped by Americans or otherwise will not manage to cope with the situation.

On a rewatch using a different site, I found out that the jarring American scenes are only in there in western markets, to appeal to foreign viewers. The original cut doesn't include any western bits and leave a lot of the cheesy and redundant scenes out of it.

So, if you watch this, make sure you watch the Japanese cut in Japanese language. You will thank me later.

I am glad I saw the movie, it was really straight to the point and without unnecessary drama. The event itself was horrific enough, and so heartbreaking for everyone affected by the disaster. People who complain it's low budget, please remember it's more of a documentary / reenactment type of movie. It's made to honor the pain of everyone who got affected and show utmost respect to the heroic efforts and professionalism of the staff. Not to entertain the public and generate massive revenues. A hydrogen explosion doesn't require massive special effects.

Now, what I didn't like is the atmosphere of shouting and belittling the person beneath you, it is abusive and hostile, two things you want nowhere near a work environment, as you can see if you google "Airblue flight 202". Especially the scene with the PM. It felt so forced and political, like "hey, see that the government was REALLY angry!" statement. And yes, I am aware shouting is not unusual in Japan, but come on. People in power should know better and do better. Then going in front of the camera and acting all humble, again it felt forced but also two-faced. Now that I think of it, casting for the head of TEPCO emergency council is rather political as well, as the person is clearly made to look a bit crazy and stereotypical. Again, it's more of a political statement and trying to gain the society's good will and understanding. This definitely puts me off, personally.

But overall, I liked the movie for what it is. And it does keep you on your tiptoes the majority of the time.

Don't expect anything as good as chernobyl, i tried to keep my attention at the movie but halfway through i found myself wandering why i even should. You don't really care about any of the actors, the story doesn't seems to go anywhere which is suprising since it was one of the biggest nuclear accidents of all time, and the effects are just sad. incompetent leaders, hero-workers and american cowboys ready to save the day. Hopefully not the final movie on this subject

"Fukushima 50" is a mini-series that stands out for its unique narrative pacing and profound storytelling. Rather than relying on fast-paced action, the series opts for a slower dynamic, which significantly enhances the emotional impact. This pace allows viewers to deeply understand the mentality of the people involved, their incredible bravery, and the immense danger they faced.

The series masterfully depicts the unimaginable peril of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the helplessness of even a technologically advanced society against the forces of nature. It highlights the harsh reality that, sometimes, there are situations beyond human control, no matter how advanced or prepared a society might be.

At the heart of "Fukushima 50" is the portrayal of responsibility and the significance of individual actions in times of crisis. It shows that, despite overwhelming odds and daunting challenges, human resilience and courage can prevail. The series offers a poignant reflection on the tragedy, inviting viewers to contemplate the event's gravity and the people who rose to the occasion.

"Fukushima 50" is more than just a recounting of a disaster; it's an immersive experience that compels viewers to empathize with those who lived through the calamity. The series not only documents a tragic chapter in history but also serves as a tribute to the human spirit's enduring strength in the face of adversity.

It goes straight into the bang and the story have been told as a thriller, you get continuously sitting on the top of your chair and do not want to miss any details, because they are telling a lot of details and reaction. It is a great movie but missing a lot of documentaries is needed. Missing a lot of elements in my opinion, do not know precisely, but it's missing like more catchy. A movie that is nice to watch for once but not to watch over and over....

A sobering view of the disaster, and a reminder of what happened to the people there and what they did. Well-produced throughout, and with good acting from all. There is a little family drama but it is not overdone and fits the situation. It's very interesting to see the Japanese culture and approach to the events.

This movie is a waste of time. Every second sentence gets repeated 3 times in a row. Useless shouting all the way through and cringe worthy overacting. Pretty sad as the topic is of course very exciting.

What started out to be an interesting thriller and caught my eye with strong images and great camera work fell apart rather quickly due to terrible directing, responsible for almost comical overacting, and a willfully ignorance of historical facts. While it's obvious sibling series Tschernobyl mastered the art of depicting the silent yet deadly threat of radioactivity, the suffering of people and the crippling despair of an overwhelming accident that had never before occurred; this movie just seemed like a parody of a story of heros that deserves to be told so much better. Three stars solely for the visuals.

There's been a lot of superhero content. The Fukushima 50 are the real superheroes.

I had read about them back in 2012, but I didn't know in detail what had happened at the Nuclear Power plant at Fukushima. This is one of the better Asian films I have seen recently, especially from Japan. This beats Train to Busan in my boat. There is real sense of suspense and urgency, and frankly I was in tears throughout the movie. I needed tissues. I was moved at how the Fukushima 50 didn't give up. They didn't give up on each other and neither did they give up on saving the plant. Even when it felt impossible, even when they knew they might die, they didn't give up. Train to Busan in comparison felt cheap, in that the zombies never felt like a threat compared to what happened in this movie.

The impact of their heroism was influential in my best friend's work. She was moved by their ability to sacrifice themselves to save the lives of their family and of their nation. My friend would have wanted me to see this film. The irony is March 6, the day of its release, was the last day my friend was alive, before she had passed.

This honestly beats Parasite in my opinion. Then again, Japanese movies aren't as hot in the Academy radar as Korean films.

One if the worst movies I have ever seen. I kept expecting Godzilla to show up. The dubbing was comical- and the overacting was cringe-worthy. What a waste of the great Ken Watanabe's talent! I couldn't even get through the first hour before I had to turn it off. Just awful!

Fukushima 50 Japanese view of the largest man-made disaster of the 21st century. It's not bad for Japanese cinema, and I hope it's true. Nevertheless, watching for the most part films about Chernobyl is boring. The only thing that is puzzling is the pressure on US help to eliminate the consequences? Does the Japanese government have no bottled water and basic medical equipment?

This was my first japanese movie and i really love tragic and documentary type movies. I was a kid when i came to know about this incident and always wanted to know more about it, this movie helped me a lot. Seriously a must watch if you're into documentaries.