Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

Play trailer 1:59 Poster for Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare 2026 1h 30m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 6 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Reconstructing the nine harrowing days following the disaster in forensic, real-time detail, from the control-room engineers fighting to prevent a total meltdown, to the political leaders confronting the unthinkable, to ordinary citizens caught in the fallout. Power plant workers who were tasked with averting a major catastrophe by doing a potential suicide mission. These 50 workers recount the mounting pressures they faced as they entered the darkened reactors to try to avert the worst outcome.

Where to Watch

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

Critics Reviews

View More
Natalia Winkelman New York Times Mar 10
Although chiefly a straightforward — and at points repetitive — synopsis of the events, "Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare" distinguishes itself in its devotion to elevating these men as heroes. Go to Full Review John Anderson Wall Street Journal Mar 5
While essentially a disaster film, the visually alarming and nerve-racking “Fukushima” is also a cross-cultural psychodrama, about an industry, and perhaps a society, having a meltdown all its own. Go to Full Review Joe Lipsett Murder Made Fiction Podcast - Bloody Disgusting 5d
A solid, albeit slightly uneven doc chronicling the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and near nuclear meltdown in Japan. Go to Full Review Stephen Silver The SS Ben Hecht Apr 6
The doc includes lots of amazing on-the-ground footage from the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident, while juxtaposing that with old cartoons of government propaganda Go to Full Review Lee Zumpe Tampa Bay Newspapers Mar 22
It is a compelling, albeit nightmare-inducing, documentary. Go to Full Review John Serba Decider Mar 12
Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare is brutal, but vital viewing. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Akira B @akirabergman Apr 11 Good honest doco but not honest enough. The role of the US and General Electric as the designer of the plant are not mentioned. How were the risks in case of a tsunami not stated? See more Marc Z @TKDLife Apr 9 This documentary about the 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami, and nuclear reactor accident in Japan is very scary. It uses documentary footage and current day interviews from survivors to tell the tale of what happened. It is a very well done documentary and a very scary cautionary tale. I am glad they tied it up in a movie and not an overly long miniseries. See more Les N @Vegas628 Mar 15 The Japanese are corrupt like any other country. See more T P. @price8567 Mar 13 Well done. Fascinating unseen footage. But mainly focuses on science and engineering. If you aren’t into science it may not be that exciting. See more Read all reviews
Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

James Jones

Director
View All

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare: Trailer Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare: Trailer 1:59 View more videos
View All

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare

Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare (2026) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Reconstructing the nine harrowing days following the disaster in forensic, real-time detail, from the control-room engineers fighting to prevent a total meltdown, to the political leaders confronting the unthinkable, to ordinary citizens caught in the fallout. Power plant workers who were tasked with averting a major catastrophe by doing a potential suicide mission. These 50 workers recount the mounting pressures they faced as they entered the darkened reactors to try to avert the worst outcome.
Director
James Jones
Distributor
HBO
Production Co
HBO Documentary Films, Dogwoof
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2026
Runtime
1h 30m
Most Popular at Home Now