Jane H

They say never to write plots that lead the characters. The 3 Body Problem goes even further and place Ideas before plot. But the ideas are so spectacular, one forgives the contrived viewing experience. Benioff and Weiss do a good enough job filling the characters with individual motivation, backstory and personality to keep us entertained. Some of the plot points turn out visually preposterous and almost campy (one with a ship that I’ll refrain from spoiling here). But the whole thing is a humming disc of ideas so big and original that I can’t wait to see what comes next. Artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, virtual reality, quantum physics, warring civilizations — it touches upon the maelstrom of activity that’s emerging in our current world and tries to make sense of it all. Cons: Casting could have been better, production value is that characteristic, lowbrow “network tv” look that marks every Netflix production (I wonder how much richer this would have looked as an HBO or Apple TV+ show), the actors are not believable as potentially Nobel Prize winning physicists, but it’s the writing that saves it. And finally some female, Asian leads who are not joy luck club women. The whole thing is new, and daring and refreshing — a sign that in some small corner, Hollywood is still willing and able to take risks.

Incredible. One of the most epic movies I’ve ever seen. Imaginative, visionary, bold.