Something rather remarkable occurs during Mark Levinson’s (“Prisoner of Time”) documentary about the search for the Higgs-Boson particle. The complex and ineffable ideas of quantum physics being explained eventually becomes relatable to the layman, whose understanding of the complex math behind such matters tends to be severely limited.
In “Particle Fever,” Levinson and the exuberant David Kaplan, a professor of theoretical physics at Johns Hopkins University, go to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) to document, at great lengths, the excitement over the experiment to capture evidence of the “God Particle.” Though it is known more by its commonly accepted name, the Higgs-Boson, a force that outlines the fundamental construction of nature that makes up that universe.
Levinson’s documentary is excellently paced, outlining the mystery behind the 40-year search for the particle and the political tomfoolery involved, which led to fear mongering by U.S. senators to shut down the American effort in constructing a Large Hedron Collider.
What Levinson’s documentary suffers from is trusting far too much of his efforts to the talking heads that makes up a large part of the substance for “Particle Fever.” While Kaplan makes an enthusiastic and affable host, far more information is missing about what drives these scientists beyond the initial explanation of finding the answers to the universes most complex problems.
Maybe that’s exactly the motivation for those working in the theoretical field- the appeal to make wild speculations that may or may not be true until experimentation. But Levinson’s “Particle Fever” dwells far too often on the technical aspects which, however relatable Levinson attempts to make them, for regular audiences can become droll.
However, “Particle Fever” is exciting, save for some cheap editing that makes the final scenes seem inferior to others. Even so, the possibility of a universe that is eminently explainable is far too enticing even for the most unlearned individuals in science.
dkahen-kashi@theeagleonline.com
