Review by Dennis D. McDonald

A few weeks ago I finished reading the first novel in Cixin Liu’s trilogy, THE THREE BODY PROBLEM. This week I finished watching Season 1 of Netflix's series.

My thinking while reading the novel had been, “How the heck are they going to make a convincing and understandable series out of this?” Based on the first six episodes, my concern was unwarranted. This has definitely been one of the most audacious and thought provoking TV series I’ve seen, matching or exceeding my enjoyment of series like THE PERIPHERAL, RAISED BY WOLVES, SILO, and SEVERANCE.

Visually the series is gorgeous. Scenes in rural China are spacious and grand. Images of Cultural Revolution violence are blood curdling. The integral “video game” experience is both immersive and convincing. A water based action sequence is horrific and mind-boggling.

The script and editing are clear despite simplification of some of the technical details that the novel’s author lavished many words on. The time jumping throughout the series is well explained.

We know who these people are. What I find most gratifying about the series is how the characters are portrayed. One weakness in the book, I thought, was the rather flat character development. Characters had to be distinguished by their names and actions but not their personalities. That problem is dispelled by the actors used in the series and their convincing portrayals.

I’m not troubled by the gender and geographic switches; the story is intact. I'm not troubled by the expansion of action to beyond China. Nor am I troubled by the changes in characters. Key events are still there and are well depicted, in some cases spectacularly. Pivotal character actions are retained from the novel along with the life events that motivate them. And, I rather enjoy that Americans are not automatically portrayed as the buffoonish warmongers depicted in some other Chinese media.

In summary, I enjoyed the series and hope it continues. The novel’s story and key events are not dumbed down, but synthesized. I would have enjoyed more in-depth discussions of some of the key scientific elements of the story which are laid out in greater detail in the book but I’m not sure how that would have worked visually. The characters are portrayed as real individuals with real personalities as they deal with unprecedented events, and the entire program package exudes professionalism.

My one complaint: I”m not terribly impressed by the music.

Review copyright 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald

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