Mark your calendars. Sunday goes down in history as the premiere of the TV program, Manhattan, about carefree twenty-somethings trying to make it in the big city. Wait, no, that was HIMYM. Manhattan is actually about the human drama and high-stakes tension surrounding the Manhattan Project.
I thought I thought I'd prepare for the premiere by marathoning a sampling of the other movies and TV Shows about one of the most important developments in human history. As it turns out, though, there isn't a whole lot to catch up on, since previous attempts to dramatize the Manhattan project have, well, bombed.
Basically, don't watch Fat Man and Little Boy (RT: 53%), starring Paul Newman, wasted as general Leslie Groves.
Ditto for The Manhattan Project (RT: 47%), which, in addition to getting mixed reviews at best, isn't actually about the Manhattan Project.
What does that leave us with? A handful of documentaries and one excellent miniseries from BBC, Oppenheimer, winner of three BAFTA awards and golden globe nomination.
The documentaries, though less decorated, have a few gems, including the Peabody-winning The Day After Trinity which follows J Robert Oppenheimer through the war and beyond.
And there you have it. On a scale of 1 to Atomic, how well do you think the new series will fare?
Santa Fe Reporter