Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is a slick but volatile sci-fi series whose baffling story isn’t its biggest strength
Netflix is used to gambling. From pioneering a crackdown on account sharing between households to remaking some of the best anime shows, the streaming giant has a penchant for pursuing high-risk, high-reward strategies.
You can count now 3 Body problem, Netflix’s TV adaptation of Liu Cixin’s brain-melting book series, with big swings. The streamer’s latest big-budget series isn’t just packed with abstract science fiction; it is also helped by Game of Thrones‘(Got) showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, whose reputations took a major hit following the divisive final season of the high-fantasy HBO show.
In addition to Netflix and Real blood However, showrunner Alexander Woo, Benioff and Weiss are back on form with an effective, mind-bending series that provides a fitting take on Cixin’s dense and seemingly unfilmable source material. The sometimes restrictive storylines and deviations in storytelling will irritate fans of Cixin’s novels, while the more cerebral elements and plot pacing may confuse others. As an in-depth, multi-genre and surprisingly intimate series, however, 3 Body problem largely hits the sweet spot.
Secret invasion
3 Body problemThe film’s plot jumps between two storylines set in different time periods. The first, set in the 1960s and 1970s, follows Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), a Chinese astrophysics prodigy who becomes increasingly misanthropic as a result of numerous personally traumatic events. Disillusioned by the cruelty of the human race, Ye makes a fateful decision – one that reverberates through time and space – when a seemingly benevolent alien race contacts her during her research into extraterrestrial life.
Half a century later, unorthodox detective Da Shi (Marvel star Benedict Wong) investigates a series of gruesome, unexplained deaths involving scientists around the world. Under the command of a mysterious organization led by the enigmatic Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham), Shi soon finds himself pursuing the Oxford Five – a group of scientific experts who may hold the key to averting an invasion where the humanity is ill-equipped. of.
3 Body Problem shines brightest when it focuses on the human aspect of the story
3 Body problem spends its early episodes between these timelines, which isn’t a new storytelling approach for a sci-fi show, but it nevertheless manages to slowly untangle the biggest mysteries within the core story. It’s by no means a shallow show, either, with a layered story that raises philosophical questions – mainly of the existential variety – and other brainteasers throughout its eight episodes. Plot-wise, 3 Body problem also asks more questions than it answers, meaning viewers looking for an easy watch will be in for a rude awakening.
However, if you really focus on the story at hand, 3 Body problem rewards you. Those who concentrate can indeed discover clues that predict future events. It is an interactive form of storytelling that shows one of the following aspects 3 Body problem‘s greatest strengths, namely its ability to subconsciously turn you into a prescient detective, rather than simply being an objective observer. I found myself trying to solve the biggest puzzles before the answers were revealed through plot exposition, and I recommend you do the same if you want to add an extra dimension to your viewing experience.
Speaking of storytelling, there’s frustration in the way some of this is delivered. Sometimes, 3 Body problem does well with its narrative explanations – for example, Da Shi’s evidence board, which provides important details about the Oxford Five in Episode 1, is a clever way of relaying important background information about each individual. Other times, characters annoyingly repeat facts from one episode to the next. For example, the revelation that the invading alien race is 400 years away from reaching Earth is “revealed” several times in episodes 3 and 4. My memory isn’t what it used to be, Netflix, but come on.
3 Body Problem is a cleverly constructed and compelling epic
The genre-bending makeup is also periodically whimsical. A trailer that landed in January teased the potential for 3 Body problem to be a sci-fi epic, VR horror and mystery thriller all in one, but the tonal shifts during the early episodes are disappointingly temperamental. The lurch from sci-fi spectacle to tragicomedy, especially during scenes seemingly set in a virtual reality (VR) world, typifies the show’s struggle to achieve balance, something it only manages halfway through.
I suggested that before 3 Body problem had the ability to give you VR nightmares when the first clip appeared online in November 2023, but some of the more terrifying images just aren’t frightening. Some are creepy and disturbing – the seemingly perpetual and inexplicable countdown timer that plagues Auggie Salazar (Eiza Gonzalez), one of the Oxford Five, early on is undeniably terrifying. Other moments have a macabre flavor, including scenes where Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) and Jack Rooney (Jon Bradley) – other members of the aforementioned quintet – interact with obscure, state-of-the-art, minimalist VR headsets. Unfortunately, that’s as scary as it can be.
However, there are moments that are truly shocking. One sequence in episode 5 is deeply disturbing in its simplicity; his body horror is unnervingly juxtaposed with the eerily quiet atmosphere that accompanies it. Add to that even more gory, sometimes physical and psychological violence, plus other adult-oriented material – and morbid, R-rated and deadpan jokes – and the narrative darkness that embodies the Benioff and Weiss-led projects is just as prominent as it was inside Thrones. They may have traded high fantasy for mind-boggling science fiction, but their fingerprints are clearly visible in the final product.
A sky full of stars
For all its big-brained concepts, multi-genre scope, and exorbitant scale, I believe 3 Body problem shines brightest when it actively addresses the deeply human aspect of its story.
As I mentioned earlier, there’s a barely noticeable shift halfway through, as the show moves away from the dizzying science-based theories and philosophical riddles in favor of an intimate story about life, love, death and survival. That does not mean 3 Body problem throws away its metaphysical and science fiction elements – after all, there’s still a pulsating, terrifying one War of the Worlds-inspired story to tell and, hopefully, in future seasons, conclude.
There’s frustration in the way some of 3 Body Problem’s story exposition is delivered
3 Body problemHowever, what surprised me most about Netflix’s new, lush TV original was its ability to tell a meaningful, relatable, and tender story. It shows substantial emotional heft, especially from Bradley’s Jack, Hong’s Jin, Alex Sharp’s Will (another of the Oxford Five) and Zine Tseng’s young Ye – based on her quietly intense performance, Tseng is a star in the making – which makes for a moving melodrama to lose yourself in.
It’s not a completely somber and/or poignant affair, mind you, with plenty of adult-based levity, awkward humor, and even the odd slapstick moment that pleasantly lightens the mood amid the trauma-laced subplots. 3 Body problem doesn’t shy away from giving each cast member his or her time in the sun either, with the aforementioned actors – plus other key characters, including Jovan Adepo’s Saul, the only Oxford Five member I haven’t mentioned – installed as episodic leads. Besides, this is a Benioff and Weiss-created TV adaptation, so, like GotI would advise against getting too attached to a particular character (if you know, you know).
Considering I struggled to connect with the multi-dimensional cast of characters in the first half, being able to identify and empathize with them later (albeit late) was remarkably satisfying. The relationships between certain individuals – Wade’s interactions with Da Shi and Jin are notable highlights – crackle and fizz with pleasing intent, while the surprising team-ups between radically different characters also add a dynamic touch to specific scenes. Who would have thought that a trippy, paranormal, and theory-based show would do its best work in its character-driven component?
My verdict
3 Body problem is a cleverly constructed and compelling epic that, once it navigates through its clumsy embryonic stage, strikes an impressive balance between its thought-provoking plot, intimate and character-driven storylines, and its grounding in real science and history-defining events. An ambitious, mind-expanding science fiction program on Netflix, an equal parts international and intergalactic mystery, that demands your attention.
At times it feels like an HBO-style prestige drama, featuring the work of Benioff and Weiss. Thrones paying dividends for their latest big small-screen project. Broadly speaking, it is an appropriate adaptation of Cixin’s often ponderous literary works, although it downplays the hypothetical source material somewhat through periodic creative deviations and simplified conceptual explanations.
3 Body problem was one of the ten exciting shows I couldn’t wait to see in early 2024, and after enjoying what it had to offer, I feel confirmed in my prediction. It won’t have the same industry-changing impact as that one Game of Thrones had in 2011, but it has more than earned a spot – a potentially permanent one – on my top Netflix showS guide. Once you stuff yourself with all eight episodes on launch day, I’m confident you’ll understand why.
3 Body Problem will be released exclusively on Netflix on Thursday, March 21.