If you have followed the news the past 5 years, then you are probably familiar with the term “God Particle” from back in 2012, the year which saw the Higgs Boson, an essential part of creating mass in our universe, found in the Large Hadron Collider in CERN, Switzerland. It was a time when people feared a black hole would emerge from the collider and swallow our planet… good times.

Particle Fever is a documentary that captures the moments when the Large Hadron Collider was assembled and tested, to the moment where they announced the discovery of the Higgs Boson. The film follows the views of scientists, mainly theoretical physicists and experimental physicists, and their perspectives in the moments leading up to discovery of the Higgs Boson. It is an insight into the world of physics where we can see the how much aspiration, ambition, and perseverance they have in their career, and how the discovery of the nature of our universe can change their careers. This look into the minds of the physicists is interesting due to their relationship with the truth, where one can research a theory for decades only to be debunked by data. There are emotional moments found through out the film where you can see the determination it takes to pursue a theory for so many years, how nature decides if they are right through research technology, and how they can be humbled by data.

The film also follows members of the team at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) in the moments when the Large Hadron Collider tested its functionality, and of course, their first experiments, which searched for the Higgs Boson, a “holy grail” in completing the standard model of particle physics. Through their efforts we can see how massive of an undertaking the project was; the Large Hadron Collider is a 27 km underground ring crossing the borders of Switzerland and France with some parts that are about 5 stories tall; and how satisfying it must be to have it actually work and smash particles together near the speed of light.

Particle Fever is a thoroughly enjoyable watch, with animation that clearly explain some of the physics that is hard to grasp as a layman, although there are a few dry spots here and there when the filmmakers seem to be focusing too much on introspection. Particle Fever is a film that follows physicist in their search for the truth and shows us how amazing the works of scientists are, and how far their fields have come along. The film brings sheds light into appreciating our universe, how much we do not know about it, as well as how many amazing things we do.

Synopsys:
As the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time — or perhaps their greatest failure. – IMDB