I've seen this documentary twice now.My shock and horror to the amount of testing we have conducted, makes very clear as to why so many of us are suffering from health issues.331 bombs (as of the date of the film release) were 'tested'. I understand the need for testing with animals and clearly, if they SEE that the ANIMALS were RADIOACTIVE and the SPREAD of the materials....when were they going to realize "Hi! Earth? Atmosphere? WE BREATHE?! Inhale...exhale?! EXPOSURE!?".I'm always saddened to see the effects of human actions. 20 - 30 tests were shocking to hear but 331 was not something I call a smart move.This documentary, shows the damaging effects of human actions. So many bombs underground, above ground, in the ocean, in the atmosphere....so many times tested...I now sit here and think to myself that the latest documentary stated that Chernobyl will take THOUSANDS of years for the radiation to clear...if this was in 1986....I can now see the reason so many of our loved ones are dying from various forms of cancers and the havoc that all that testing with our continued lack of respect for Earth...has now today, caused the "No Global Warming" debate.Alaska is melting, fires, earthquakes, tsunami.....storms...tornadoes in places that we've never had them....sure, no global warming.As someone stated here, the music score is absolutely amazing....be prepared to be blown away (as someone else stated) for the devastation, recklessness of needless numerous testing while the music evokes a feeling of futility as we are completely powerless to rewind time.In the end, a fantastic documentary but definitely, quite dark.

William Shatner narrates a running tally of almost every nuclear weapons test run by the United States in the atomic age, from the 1945 breakthrough "Trinity" to 1963's "Nike Hercules" air defense missile. Almost as fascinating as the constant barrage of blooming orange mushroom clouds on the screen is the realization of just how recklessly fascinated our leaders actually were with this technology. It's a boys' world (or, at least, it was at the time) and so it's not entirely surprising that the men at the top of the food chain would want the biggest toy in the yard to parade around with. Still, it's tough to imagine anyone - even a selfish little brat - being so carefree with such volatile powers. The process almost parodies itself; when the US woefully underestimated the strength of "Castle," a blast twice as powerful as expected that accidentally irradiated sailors and villagers alike, they barely stopped to brush themselves off before launching additional blasts below the surface of the ocean, deep under the ground and in the upper reaches of the atmosphere. The latter of which, inadvertently, introduced us to the far-reaching powers of an EMP. The historical footage dug up for this documentary is riveting and amazing, fantastic fodder for fireball-lovers, but I couldn't stop wondering how we got through it all in one piece. These guys only thought they knew what they were doing, or had at best a vague idea, and in a lot of ways that's worse than just lighting the fuse and standing around with a clipboard and a pair of safety goggles.

Thoroughly enjoyed this documentary. The old, deteriorating footage of nuclear weapon tests that was painstakingly restored for this project is awesome, yet at the same time, terrifying.Most refreshing is that the film is not revisionist, but an honest historical account of those dark days in world history, presented in the context of those times.No matter what one's politics, this film is a must see. Personally, I believe that with the end of the Cold War, it would finally be achievable, if the collective willpower were there, to actually rid the world of nuclear weapons.

This is the scientific version of "Threads" and has much more drama. William Shatner's low and 'Star Trek' warm monotone narration combined with earth shattering images provide this movie with entertainment that you just want to watch over and over again. The 3D section is excellent, especially if your watching it in Dolby pro-logic and on DVD. The most interesting moment for me personally is where the news reporters are at the test site and you can see every emotion in their faces just before the bomb goes off. The device detonates and we are shown the images of a house imploding and cars and buses being hurtled into the air and disintegrating upon impact with the heat blast. Pure quality. Put it this way, choice between "Threads" and "Trinity"? Trinity will always come first because what's portrayed is fact, not fiction.