Why such disparate reviews and ratings? I think it's important to set your expectations correctly for this film.
Chances are you (prospective viewer of this documentary) already know much of the pop-science explanations of black holes from other documentaries, books, New Scientist magazine, etc. If so, don't expect to learn anything new about black holes here.
"If there's nothing to learn here, why bother?!" I hear you ask. Well, you will learn about humans and process, rather than facts.
This documentary takes more of a meta-perspective, looking at what, or perhaps more aptly put, how the scientists DO what they do to get the info that constitutes what you might see in other black hole documentaries. A montage of day-in-the-lives of the scientist.
The two main disciplines that feed into our current understanding are shown in stark contrast to each other, one a messy cross-institutional tangle, the other a calm dignified sort of family.
There's the experimental physicists and astronomers - a collaboration of 200 people hoping to directly observe and then model a black hole. And there's theoretic physicists - Stephen Hawking and 3 others, number crunching their way to a resolution of the Information Paradox.
I don't really understand the complaints of other reviews about the graphics. They're used sparingly, and are beautiful in their minimalism - a mix of hand-drawn and CGI modelling. Interspersed are some more artistic drawing, with the voice-overs of the more philosophical musings. Zoe Keating's layered cello was a great choice for the accompaniment.
If you only have time for depersonalised facts and data, you won't enjoy any of this.
In the end it's a humbling experience, about very human Earthlings exploring the edges of space with their minds and with technology.
Chances are you (prospective viewer of this documentary) already know much of the pop-science explanations of black holes from other documentaries, books, New Scientist magazine, etc. If so, don't expect to learn anything new about black holes here.
"If there's nothing to learn here, why bother?!" I hear you ask. Well, you will learn about humans and process, rather than facts.
This documentary takes more of a meta-perspective, looking at what, or perhaps more aptly put, how the scientists DO what they do to get the info that constitutes what you might see in other black hole documentaries. A montage of day-in-the-lives of the scientist.
The two main disciplines that feed into our current understanding are shown in stark contrast to each other, one a messy cross-institutional tangle, the other a calm dignified sort of family.
There's the experimental physicists and astronomers - a collaboration of 200 people hoping to directly observe and then model a black hole. And there's theoretic physicists - Stephen Hawking and 3 others, number crunching their way to a resolution of the Information Paradox.
I don't really understand the complaints of other reviews about the graphics. They're used sparingly, and are beautiful in their minimalism - a mix of hand-drawn and CGI modelling. Interspersed are some more artistic drawing, with the voice-overs of the more philosophical musings. Zoe Keating's layered cello was a great choice for the accompaniment.
If you only have time for depersonalised facts and data, you won't enjoy any of this.
In the end it's a humbling experience, about very human Earthlings exploring the edges of space with their minds and with technology.