Among HBO's best productions, this miniseries powerfully portrays both the nuclear catastrophe and the catastrophe of Soviet socialism that enabled it and compounded the consequences.

The look & feel of the production are top-notch, with the notable exceptions of a laughably un-Gorbachev-like Gorbachev character and the annoying British accents of the actors. Such a large cast with Soviet names may also prove a challenge to follow for the uninitiated, but the miniseries' overall payoff makes that worth tolerating.