For a documentary about the dangers of a world with nuclear weapons, “Countdown to Zero” is some pretty tedious stuff, mostly because of how self-important the whole thing is. You can tell by the way it handles its own argument – sure, the fight for nuclear disarmament deserves some serious attention, but so much of this movie’s 91-minute length is spent getting us up to speed on the atomic age that, when the time comes to talk about making the world safe from all those weapons, it comes across as a perfunctory counterpoint.

That should give you an idea as to what kind of faith it has in its cause.

Still, it’s pretty obvious that there are plenty of things to be alarmed about. At a time when terrorism is such a big deal, the thought of al-Qaida using nuclear weapons is a legitimate concern, especially considering what it’d take to put one together. Although it’s not easy to get the parts through customs, given all the narcotics that get across every day, things like plutonium or uranium could be obtained just as easily. Even those knuckleheads in the war room from “Dr. Strangelove” could pull it off.

Of course, so many countries have these weapons already that producing new ones feels like overkill. With more than 23,000 of them currently in the hands of various nations, you’d think we’d have some idea of where they all are, but not every last one has been accounted for. The only thing everybody here seems to be able to agree on is that the world would be a better place without them, which is where the “Countdown to Zero” angle comes in.

While major steps have been taken in that direction, the focus this film gives them is relatively vague. Maybe the concept of a nuclear-free world doesn’t warrant much fanfare.

There are plenty of other films about this subject. Try to find a copy of “The Atomic Cafe,” which, on top of having a glut of material to work with, is also one of the most entertaining documentaries ever made. It doesn’t find the same hope that “Countdown to Zero” does for a future free from the threat of nuclear weapons, but at least it understands that we already know what they’re capable of without having to be told what goes into making them.

Besides, if it’s this easy to get a hold of them, shouldn’t we be worried about all the people who come out for a movie that spends most of its running time showing you how nuclear weapons work?

This article was originally published at AllMediaNy.com

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