I expected more from this documentary made by the famous Hollywood director Ron Howard. What this documentary is mostly showing one could already have seen in any tv reportage about the fires.

The title of this movie "Rebuilding Paradise" is quite misplaced, because most people cant or dare not return to the burned down town Paradise and have to live in with family or in a trailer. A few people, whose homes have been saved do still live there though and they have to shower in water that is so heavily polluted it permeates through the human skin while showering and can harm an unborn infant.

What's most impressive are the people who are filming their escape out of a sea of fire, with their carwheels literally on fire as they are fleeing their hometown Paradise. But that is only a very small part of the movie. It's mostly about grieving, scared or angry homeowners who have to deal with finding a new home again etc.

What's most scandalous is the fact that because of reckless neglect in maintenance of above ground powerlines by the electric company, this fire got started in the first place. But only a few minutes of this documentary is dedicated to that cause. Missed opportunity!

All in all, this documentary is not very wel made, but it certainly is not a bad document of these fires that destroyed part of California. It could have been better though if this documentary had paid much more attention to the causes of these fires and what can be done to prevent it in the future. Fire causes and ways of prevention do get mentioned, but only shortly and in passing, which is a bit of a shame...

The inferno inside that fire is awe inspiring to see, and the devastation is brutal. The aftermath is full of things that you'd only come to understand once a catastrophe like this unfolds. Also showing the side of humans helping a community to rebuild their lives makes for a good story in this documentary.

It's so sad how Paradise burned in the fire, and this footage captures not only the despair that goes with it but some breathtaking footage of those escaping the fire. It really shows how fast things can spiral out of control. It could have done a better job with talking about how these fires start and how to prevent them, but it was a well done human interest piece about rebuilding.