Are arbitrarily blend of cinematic and narrative tropes that fails to make good on any of the inherent storytelling potential within the locale.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 22, 2023

Suspense is inexistent. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4/10 | Jun 13, 2023

One good thing about “Chernobyl Diaries” that it doesn’t prolong the agony. At a running time of under 90 minutes, I was quickly able to go about my business of forgetting the forgettable.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Aug 19, 2022

Nothing innovative, but a decent little effort in the urban exploration corner of horror, using some tragic history as a modern Gothic setup.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 3, 2019

The set piece needs more attention, but the attacks are done reasonably well, an instil of progressive tension reasonably effective.

| Feb 28, 2019

The result, though no classic, is definitely enough to make you rethink going on a suspect European coach trip anytime soon.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 11, 2019

Basically a continually-shrinking bunch of tourists running around trying to find their way out of a Ukrainian ghost land. Fascinating.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 28, 2017

For all its familiar ideas, characters, and scares, Chernobyl Diaries earns points on restraint, mood, and location.

| Aug 26, 2015

A cool concept is compromised when this film descends into predictable territory.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jun 30, 2013

After one effective scene involving a radiated Russian bear, the quality of first-time director Bradley Parker's narrative starts melting down like a TEPCO facility.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 15, 2013

There's nothing but many empty scares and zero resolution...

| Jan 9, 2013

Its strengths make it worth paying attention to, while its weaknesses prevent it from becoming the first-class chiller it had the potential to be.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 21, 2012

Unsatisfactory both as a low-budget schlocker and as a piece of entertainment.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Oct 8, 2012

There's nothing interesting, creative, innovative, exciting, suspenseful, or scary about it. We just sit there and wait for it to be over.

| Original Score: 3/10 | Oct 6, 2012

Chernobyl Diaries is a mismatched effort that was working with some intriguing core elements -- undermined by worn-out recreations of familiar horror set-ups.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Sep 27, 2012

Sitting through this shaky-cam disaster of Chernobyl-like proportions is simply not worth your time, money or equilibrium.

| Original Score: 4.5/10 | Sep 15, 2012

Dialogue is banal, the camerawork's predictable, and any subtext's missing in all the action. The flick's irradiated with a general insensitivity to human tragedy. The place, though, is deeply eerie on its own.

| Jul 24, 2012

There's a great idea hiding in there somewhere - shame they didn't find it.

| Jun 24, 2012

You've seen this sort of thing before - just not set in such an unusual locale. 'Chernobyl Diaries' delivers on atmosphere - at least, during the first. That's not surprising considering that Oren Peli of 'Paranormal Activity' fame is a producer.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 23, 2012

For a film with radioactive bears running around, it's often strangely dull, though the final descent into the concrete maw of the reactor itself is memorably hellish.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 22, 2012