Science has been getting a bit of a raw deal lately. From idiotic debates with the worst kind of extremists, to science books being rewritten to deny evolution all the way to the denial of climate change, it’s been a little depressing to look through the science news for the past few years.
 

Enter Particle Fever.
 

“Particle Fever” does something I didn’t expect it to do. Rather than sitting down and breaking down every single piece of information into tiny, bite-sized chunks to offer to anyone willing to listen, it makes science exciting. Faster than light travel! Alternate dimensions! Giant, metal things that do whatever giant, metal things do! It’s not science, it’s SCIENCE!!! Why are they conducting this experiment? Because why not? What could happen? Why are you wasting time with questions when you could be answering them?
 

The brevity of explanations could count against it for some, but since all the creators are well-versed in physics (director Mark Levinson has a PhD in particle physics and David Kaplan, the producer, is active with National Geographic) they are able to dumb it down just enough for us mere mortals to tag along. The joy in the climax, when the results are announced after decades of research, are probably the purest joy I have ever seen in a documentary.
 

It’s not an easy movie to watch, but it is a fun one. Rather than completely alienating the layman or dumbing it down too much, it offers just enough to entice and enthuse while still maintaining a proper air of mystique.
 

– Donal O’Connor