David D

If I wasn’t familiar with the books, I’ll probably be ok with 3 Body Problem—ignorance is bliss. Unfortunately, this Netflix adaptation has taken a superb piece of sci-fi literature and turned it into cheap entertainment, with redundant characters and a water-downed narrative. Obviously, this show is targeted at a wider audience, disregarding readers of the book. After their disastrous Game Of Thrones 7-8 seasons, I’ve given Benioff and Weiss the benefit of the doubt, but once again they’re wide of the mark. They’ve altered the source material to such an extent that the essence of the book’s gotten lost in the process, along with any effort to bridge the cultural gap between China and the west in a more inclusive and intuitive manner, thus alienating the Chinese audience. This kind of material might’ve been better served by a more daring writer/creator like Mr Robot’s Sam Esmail, or a visionary like Christopher Nolan. The credits should read inspired by, not based on The Three-body Problem.

There’s nothing new nor interesting to see here. This feels like a Ridley Scott’s sequel to the Alien franchise, but spread out into 10 episodes.