3 Body Problem
Three Body Problem: three stars, three stories
Emma Aviv '24
Website Designer
Once again, there is a new Netflix book-to-screen adaptation. This time, it’s sci-fi, centering around a group of scientists in Britain as they grapple with mysterious deaths and odd scientific phenomena occurring. Simultaneously, other scientists (mainly physicists) all over Britain are playing a simulation game about a chaotic world in a three star system using technology far too advanced to be from our generation. This series titled “3 Body Problem” is based on the first book in the “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy by Liu Cixin.
I knew nothing about the plot, nor had I read the book before watching the show. Initially, I was worried that it would be disappointing or underwhelming, given the track record of other Netflix adaptations. However, I was pleasantly surprised and can honestly say that I would recommend this show to anyone interested in the sci-fi genre. While I cannot attest to how accurate the show is to the novel, based on the quality of the production, the plot, the characters and everything in between, it truly was an amazing watch.
At first it was a little hard to stay interested. The pacing began pretty slow and the initial scenes are quite jarring. Additionally, the show alternates between 1940s Beijing and 2024 Britain. This alone made it difficult to connect to the characters at first. And if you’re like me and like to “multitask” while watching a show, that might be difficult considering about half of the episode is in Mandarin and requires reading subtitles.
However, as the story progressed, these alternating timelines began to connect more and more which definitely made the show more captivating. The pace really began to pick up; it became more suspenseful, tensions thickened and the stakes kept getting higher and higher. By the time I had finished the eight episode season, I was genuinely upset that I would have to wait for the next season to be released.
Louisville students watch "3 Body Problem" on Netflix
Something I absolutely was not expecting, however, was the amount of gore that was in this show. I’m not usually one to watch gorey or even suspenseful shows or movies, but it really worked in “3 Body Problem.” But even as the gore and tragedy persisted, the show was still easy to watch and more than enjoyable. This might be a bit of a spoiler, but don’t get too quickly attached to any of the characters. However, each scene and interaction was intentional as every single character served a clear purpose and possessed a unique air about them, regardless of what may happen to them.
Given that this was an on-screen adaptation of an increasingly popular science-fiction series, the show alone made me want to invest in reading the novel. Usually, the book really is better than the movie, or in this case, show. And if that really is true, I can’t imagine how good the book must be if only the first season of this show was that enthralling.