3 Body Problem Will Raise Your Intellectual Mind
If you’re a fan of hard sci-fi, this one’s for you.
3 Body Problem is an adaptation of Chinese author Cixin Liu’s highly successful trilogy known as Remembrance of Earth’s Past. Starring Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Eiza González, John Bradley, and Alex Sharp as The Oxford Five, the series follows the mysterious suicide of Vera Ye (Vedette Lim) and the detectives on the case. The answers lie within her mother Dr. Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) and her connection to the imminent alien invasion known as the San Ti.
When I first heard about this series, it interested me that D.B Weiss and Daniel Benioff — known for their work on Game Of Thrones — were taking on a very intricate piece of work that delves into physics, technology, and philosophy. Watching the first few episodes, I found myself bored — and not by the science aspect. There’s just a lot of dialogue. The pilot episode, which sets up the backstory of Dr. Ye and the lives of the Oxford Five, kept me intrigued. However, the narrative suddenly became slow and it took a while for the action and science to shine through. It was conversation after conversation after conversation that didn’t quite stick. By the fifth episode, things start to ramp up again with seeing the science at work. From there, the main plot thrives and the subplots add emotional weight. I just wish it could’ve been that pace all throughout the series.
While performances from Gonzalez, Hong, and Adepo are amazing, the standout to me was Sharp’s portrayal of Will Downing. Sharp’s character holds a lot back when it comes to his emotions as he is still in love with Jin Cheng (Hong). When he reveals he has stage four pancreatic cancer, he tries to live his days to the fullest. Knowing Jin will never reciprocate feelings, he just preserves their wonderful friendship and buys a star in her name. Sharp perfectly executes an emotional performance on this unrequited love that is still willing to do anything for Jin. I was completely enthralled by this subplot as I think it humanized the characters, so they don’t come off as just pretentious science geniuses. I also commend the comedic relief offered by Jack Rooney (Bradley) and Clarence “Da” Shi (Benedict Wong), which I really enjoyed. It felt very natural in their own respective characters.
Though anyone who’s read the books might find details to tweak, the series seems to be heading down a good path in adapting a challenging piece of literature. One of the things I enjoyed most was how stimulating it is. You’re not just watching a drama piece about an alien invasion. You can indulge in analyzing what this all means. The relationship between humans, our ability to create and destroy, what technology means to us, how we interact with nature, the political system, and so much more can be pieced throughout the series. 3 Body Problem is thought-provoking, philosophical, and takes sci-fi to another level.
All eight episodes of 3 Body Problem are on Netflix.
