Karen MeagherThreads

I'm a life long horror fan and when ever I'm asked what the scariest I have ever seen is I always reply "Threads". I grew up watching this and it has not lost a single bit of it's brutal impact. I think this film is even scarier given our current political climate and how the world is one bad choice away from a reality such as this. One good thing about this film is that it makes you very, very thankful for what you have. I do not mean to sound melodramatic but the best advice I can give is to watch this with the lights on and preferably with another person.

I was born the year The Day After was first shown on ABC network across the USA, and year before this film was shown on the BBC network across Britain. I vaguely remember seeing the news covering the fall of the Berlin Wall and the close of the Cold War in the early 1990's. I saw some happy people in Germany and elsewhere, but didn't really get what all the excitement was about. So, I can't say that I might understand at an emotional level what the impact of this film might be within the context of its release year, but I suppose I might have some useful perspective that is detached from the opinions about nuclear weapons/war of those days. So here goes.This film is of a docu-drama style that juxtaposes a human story arc (Jimmy and Ruth) through a nuclear war scenario with proposed statistics describing the effects of the nuclear war scenario. I am a big fan of this choice, because it lends a lot of credence to the storyline portion by referencing from expert sources. It is as if the movie is acting out a small part of a wider simulated scenario, and serves as a powerful warning with its combination of the cold, unfeeling worldwide stats backing up the raw human experiences. I have only learned about the Cold War from history books, and I think this movie conveys that intangible feeling of living through those tense times that books cannot.I am glad that this movie has found a proper release on Bluray and DVD available in the N. American region, because it has an important message that can apply to today's nuclear situation as well as our future. I think the single most important part of this message would be the fearlessness with which the movie's creators approached the topic. It appears that they held nothing back in the name of TV censors or public perception. This is among the most brutally honest and unflinching stories about nuclear war, or any subject really, put to the screen. This movie has some notoriety among those that have watched it that some warning is in order before viewing it for the first time. I think any adult can certainly watch it, and should watch it, but do keep in mind that this can evoke far more horror than any standard gore movie. Upon rewatching it following this digital purchase, I was certainly impacted all over again, but fortunately less so upon further viewing. Still, the reality that we live in a world where enough weapons exist to unleash this movie's scenario looms large and is one of the primary reasons, in my opinion, for the heightened impact. This nightmare could have been a reality.There are some minor drawbacks to the film, in my opinion, but had little effect on the overall theme and emotional impact. A couple characters disappear pretty noticeably through the movie with no character resolution, but then again, that might be a merciful thing for the audience, spared from a couple more grisly deaths within the family/friends circle of the primary characters. Jimmy's friend/coworker shows up to help out Ruth for a brief few scenes in the month or so after the nuclear event and then disappears. Some people have some criticism in reviews of the nuclear bomb effects, some being stock footage, but I found them to be adequate, especially when focusing on the blast/burn effects and destroyed walls that directly affect the characters. Seeing a high-tech nuclear explosion on a city is one thing, but having the guts to show humans writhing in pain while engulfed in flames hits a decidedly different note. I didn't find the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament rally scenes to be all that useful to the movie, because the rest of the movie certainly makes any points espoused by the rally, and the main characters have no interaction with the scenes other than just casually observing from the crowd. Finally, I think a couple points of the movie are actually too optimistic. It feels as though the movie held back a bit on its estimation of the nuclear winter's effect on human populations during that first year. It seemed like a decent crop was still had that summer after the war in May. Also, while the movie does boldly extend its scenario out to 13 years after the war, it leaves an ending that calls into question humanity's fate, rather than resolving it. That being said, the ending is rather shocking and does leave an uneasy impression on humanity's reproduction odds going forward, at least in Britain. It certainly had an impactful ending, though I think exploring the possibility of a mass extinction event with humans as one of the species on the list might have been an option. Then again, the nuclear winter science was relatively new at that point, and we know more today with help of powerful analysis tools what the effects of firestorm debris injected into the stratosphere would entail. Apparently, even a regional nuclear exchange far smaller than this proposed scenario could cause some serious agricultural / starvation problems for all parts of the world. The movie wasn't bleak enough. There I said it.There are no problems on my end with the digital release, and I like Amazon's streaming player functions on a PC. Subtitles were very helpful, and pretty amusing at a couple points. The music at the end of those Protect and Survive public service announcements was subtitled as "(ominous music)". Between that and one other quick scene, there isn't any other humor to be found, though.All in all, this is an excellent movie that deserves far more recognition in the USA than its current underground or seemingly taboo status. Our nation has a distinct responsibility to lead on this issue, and we ought to be equally as fearless and unflinching to understand the responsibility involved to reduce existential risks to our world.

I had seen this film on some random “films you must see” type article, saying that it was a disturbing, realistic film about nuclear war and its effects. I took a gamble and ordered it the day this blu Ray came out. This film is horrifying, filled with sadness, despair and will shock you every chance it gets. There are very few films out there that have had a true lasting impact on me and I can honestly say that this is one of them. If you are the type that enjoys films based on real life ‘what if...’ scenarios, then you should definitely own, or at the very least, watch this film.

This gritty, hard-hitting British TV film, made back in 1984 after the U.S. released 'The Day After', is a very graphic movie about a global, thermonuclear war that breaks out after the then-Soviet Union marches into Iran in the hopes of converting it to another Soviet satellite state, similar to the Afghanistan Soviet invasion. It pulls no punches, and holds nothing back. Made with the consultation of such brilliant scientific minds as Duncan Campbell, the late Carl Sagan and other authorities such as the British Home Office & Defence College. This film, which outdoes 'The Day After' by a long shot, should be required viewing for high school students, mainly directed at those taking 20th-century history which would include the Cold War. This film very closely reflects the reality of the time it was made, as Mikhail Gorbachev was still a year away from becoming General Secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union and the Soviet leadership of the time was very hostile towards the west.The film is presented in its original aspect ratio which means it doesn't fill most current HDTVs. Having said that, I do see some improvement in picture quality on the Blu-Ray. It's also loaded with extras, including commentary by producer/director Mick Jackson and interviews with actress Karen Meagher (who plays Ruth Beckett, one of the leading characters, in the film), as well as with the Director of Photography and the Production Designer. It also includes trailers for the original release and the Blu-Ray release.This film is still relevant today, even more so now because of the behavior of North Korea and its expressed desire to build a ballistic missile capable of hitting targets in North America. There is also the very real potential threat from China and while Russia isn't the former Soviet Union, it still has the potential to launch something devastating should a crisis develop or its leadership change.Glad to see this film make it to Blu-Ray and into the North American market. Highly recommended.

It has become fashionable these days to think that a nuclear conflict, whilst appalling, would likely be a contained event: either a rogue nation/terrorist group with a single weapon strike, a regional conflict, or a strictly battlefield-only exchange. However, it is sobering to remember that it is thought that the USA and Russia each are thought to have over 6,000 such weapons each, with at least 1000 being "strategic" weapons (e.g. ICBMs).Which makes this movie, filmed at the height of the cold war (and arguably its period of greatest danger) still relevant.Combining first-class "kitchen-sink" drama that the BBC is renowned for, with a scientifically and militarily accurately researched plot and screenplay, this movie answers that terrifying question: what would happen to us in an all-out nuclear war.Set in Sheffield, it charts the lives of two families through their ordinary trials and tribulations, and the local government administrators, against the backdrop of increasing US-Soviet tensions in the Middle East. The characters are very well developed and their lives credible. The sense of people almost sleepwalking through the crisis up until the point of no return, is captured well here, making the outbreak of war, and the shocking effect it has on people in general and these families in particular, all the more harrowing.And harrowing it truly is. Unflinching in its portrayal of the immediate effects of the attacks on Sheffield (which, it is made clear, are being echoed in all NATO/Warsaw Pact countries), the full range of human emotion, fear and devastation is shown. But while it is unflinching, it is not fixated in the way some of the more modern horror movies are. The use of flashed images of the carnage wreaked, interlaced with the pictures of panic and destruction are chilling, disturbing and genuinely distressing, rather than played just for the spectacular. This is the stuff of nightmares, but a necessity in a movie dealing with such a horrifying prospect.With such a script, acting and direction, the horror that unfolds is therefore all the more gut-wrenching. The panic also of the local government is also well-depicted, with first the initial confusion, then the panic at the impossibility of the task they have taken on to "keep things running", followed by the gradual despair that there are people (including their own families) for whom they can do nothing, as they are doomed to die.But the movie does not stop their. It charts at first by day, then week-by-week, month-by-month, into many years onward from the war, to chart how things develop. And the gradual descent of our country to medieval population and technology levels. The decay of society is truly harrowing, but again based on solid research. Throughout the movie, occasional spoken narrative, supplemented by text, provide the relevant facts not only about the military and human consequences, but also the political, environmental and economic consequences. The terrible effects of radiation poisoning are shared in brutal, medically-correct detail, but things get even worse with time. Without power, technology becomes useless; with widespread shortages of even the basics, and the brutal realities of a post-conflict scenario (e.g. those in high-fallout areas are doomed to die, so are left for dead) crime skyrockets and social order breaks down, with only pockets of order enforced by brutal marshal law; with a nuclear winter, crops fail and the population declines further.Throughout this we see all but one of our families all fall to the direct and indirect effects of the attack, with only one left to carry on. But her life is a living hell.I saw this when it was first released and it did give me nightmares. Seeing a replay of the attack scene just recently brought me to tears again, after so many years. I suspect few watching this for the first time would be unmoved. For sure, the special effects are not up to modern day CGI standards, but frankly there are only a couple of scenes (mainly the detonations) that suffer from this. No, the real effects - those on the people - are all raw and laid bare and do not need such techniques.Probably the only movie to have come close to this is 2009's "The Road", but even that movie, as chilling and emotionally wrenching as it is, really does not come close to the stark human horror of "Threads".Finally, a word about this edition. To be honest I was not expecting much in terms of picture quality, with the original being standard PAL output. However I was pleasantly surprised: whilst clearly not UHD, the 2K remastering has done much to bring this movie to an acceptable viewing level. Combined with my TV's UHD upscaling, tbe quality was acceptable and allowed me to focus on the movie.In short, a dramatic and documentary masterpiece, and a must-see.

I remember watching the first broadcast in the mid 80s and it was the big talking point at work the next day, in fact nothing else was any subject for discussion. Some reviews state that it is 'dated', in what way? Old type TVs, the fashions, the cars, milk floats etc. are mentioned. Bloody hell, give me a break. Those observations are irrelevant, stupid and trivial to say the least and are not worthy any further mention. Total nuclear destruction cant date and it never will. The threat is always there even though the major super-powers are unlikely to go down that path any time soon (but never say never), but other lesser powers and extreme organizations might gain access to these weapons so God help us if they ever use them. There are enough Nuclear devices still in existence to wipe out the world several times over by the western and eastern powers. The threat has not gone away. Politics has no place in this film so it does not go in to the rights or wrongs of either side because no one can ever be right in making a nuclear first strike against their opponent. I was a serviceman in the 70s and 80s and myself and others like me were briefed on what we were expected to do if it came to a situation like is depicted in this film. The film is quite accurate in that respect. It frightens me to this day. This film is about ordinary people who have no control over the events and how they cope if they survive the initial attacks (they don't really- they merely try to survive). The cast were largely unknown actors give credibility and well acted, no big stars in this, unlike the US version 'The Day After'. Threads is the better film by a mile. Watch Threads to the end, if you find it hard it should be. Do you think you would be lucky if you survived the original attack and lived on? I think the lucky ones would be those that immediately died. Over 30 years later, Threads remains relevant, and whilst nuclear weapons exist then it always will.

When first aired in 1984, this film caused widespread comment! It's American equivalent, The Day After, does not go as far into the depth of a nuclear attack as Threads does. The latter is far more hard hitting. Threads covers decades after the attack. This is a no holds barred, go for the throat drama, with a starring role by Rees Dinsdale, a then relatively unknown actor. This special edition features digitally enhancement but also some great interviews with those who were intimately involved in the writing and production of this modern classic. I think that this is up there with the original "All Quiet On The Western Front"

I do not have the time nor the words to appropriately write a full review for this film. It was recommended to me by a friend to view, with the warning that it was no fairytale and was deeply-depressing at times. Fortunately, I'm not easy to upset, but I found the film incredibly informative and deeply troubling. It's not one to watch with the family, but certainly an essential film for those interested in 'what-ifs' and in better understanding the fear of those who had the misfortune to live through the worst of the Cold War.

For the time Threads was an excellent drama documentary & better than the American version called 'The day After' released in about 1983. The film is exclusively set around Sheffield & never shows any Government or Nato meetings prior to War which is a great shame. Sheffield also appears on film as a fairly grim place, which I'm sure is only one side of the city. The 2 young people (main characters) are from a working & lower middle class back grounds, who just want to get on in life & are far removed from international politics.Britain's civic war plans are virtually useless in a 300 mega ton catastrophe & nothing can prevent society regressing back to a medieval existence within a decade. Britain's population would likely plummet from about 57 million to between 4 -11 million people as the population suffers from lack of food due to temperatures drastically falling in the 1st year after war, resulting in a grain harvest collapse. As fuel ends, so those survivors abandon all cars, tractors & trucks etc. High UV radiation causes skin cancers & cataracts, with no NHS left to treat people. All in all a very bleak film & one that I doubt I will ever watch again, although perhaps copies should be sent to the leaders of nations that have nuclear weapons.Finally the film is beginning to show its age as you see electric milk floats & old fashioned cars driving around. People are still watching the news on 22" cathode ray tube televisions that would today belong to a museum! The mobile phone has yet to appear, what joy! Guess I'm showing my age here.