3 Body Problem Season One Early Review

Coming off the sensation that was Game of Thrones (final season excluded), showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have set the bar so high. Now five years later, they (and series co-creator Alexander Woo) are back with their follow-up that is sure to take Netflix by storm once it releases soon. While a much different series than their predecessor, it still has the same sense of scope and scale but keeps its storytelling on a more intimate level thanks to a strong group of characters that are easy to grow with throughout, at least before they kind of got lost in the shuffle as the story became more serious. Delivering a story full of moving pieces and twists and turns, the writing keeps it from ever becoming too bogged down. Without giving too much away, the footage seen across the series’ promotional material so far is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the story as a whole. As impressive as the scale of the series may be, it is the drama between its characters in the midst of plenty of tension and uncertainty that shines through. That being said, silly moments do somewhat undercut that tension as the story came together.

Based on the book of the same name by Cixin Liu, 3 Body Problem saw the laws of nature start to unravel and prominent scientists targeted for their expertise in the field of physics. As countless scientists were being found dead under suspicious circumstances all around the world, that mystery remained with no end in sight. Taking charge of the situation was a group of Oxford-based scientists and friends determined to find scientific answers for what has been happening and make sense of what has been happening to the worldwide scientific community. The source of the present activity, revealed through a series of flashbacks, could be tied back to the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the mid 1960s and a young female astrophysicist named Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng/past and then Rosalind Chao/present) who was so distraught by the horrors she witnessed that she sent a message into space where she begged any alien that answered to come and save the human race from themselves. Her daughter Vera (Vedette Lim) just happened to be part of that aforementioned group, nicknamed the Oxford Five.

The string of scientist deaths caught the eye of Da Shi (Benedict Wong), an intelligence officer for a shadowy unnamed government agency tasked to investigate. Operating adjacent to the Oxford Five, his surveilled the group he had connected to and believed to be in the crosshairs of a conspiracy responsible for the scientist deaths and the strange happenings around the world, to keep an eye on them. At the end of the day, it was only a matter of time until they would need each other. A detour on that journey came through the form of a headset connecting to a mysterious yet stunningly realistic VR game that appeared in the laps of Oxford Five members Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) and Jack Rooney (John Bradley). In the game, they were tasked to saved a planet alternating between life and death through a series of levels of increasing difficulty. Offering some inventive set pieces, the game proved to be a rabbit hole that also contained potential clues as to what was happening the real world. However, one can’t help but to be suspicious about it and the ulterior motives behind it.

As scientists continued to be targeted, this didn’t necessarily make the Oxford Five immune from the threat posed by the conspiracy at the heart of everything. After suffering a series of loses, they reluctantly teamed up with Shi and the agency he worked for, led by the cold and calculating Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham). A big picture guy, his methods were controversial as he saw everyone and everything as merely a means to an end. Over time, as the pieces started to come together and the playing field became clearer, the tension ramped up as the story shifted to the pursuit of that conspiracy and the actors behind it. But as far as the story was concerned, things are not always what they appeared to be as it still had a few more surprises up its sleeve. As humanity found itself on the brink, mass panic ensued as the time of their presumed demise would be universally taken way out of proportion. Despite this, there was still a sense of urgency among those responsible for Earth’s defense to find a way to stop whatever was coming though the odds were definitely stacked against them. And if the series were to be renewed this would likely be the direction it would go as that threat remained.

Rounding out the Oxford Five was Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), an underachieving physics research assistant who was not lacking in smarts but was rather full of unfulfilled potential, and Will Downing (Alex Sharp), a physics professor with a slight inferiority complex whose life was suddenly turned upside down. As everyone essentially stayed in their respective lanes, each worked together to form a fun dynamic, though one that could have used more development. Jin was the more straightforward character and a genius physicist whose curiosity and endless search of answers to the big questions was a blessing and a curse. Jack was the comic relief, an abrasive, rough-around-the-edges physicist who used his degree for fame and fortune. Saul, working in the shadows of others, his friends knew how smart he really was and now, he had a chance to rise to the occasion. Will was the undisputed heart of the group and the glue that held them together. This made his arc over the course of the season, that much more impactful.

On a technical level, the budget is there and it certainly makes the most out of it. Creating a world seemingly on the brink and a virtual one, also on the brink, the sense of scale and scope, and the inventiveness of the latter, is something to behold. A deeply human story contained within beautiful shots of London and mainland China, the series pulls viewers in like they are a part of it. But as the story got more serious, that connection grew slightly muddier as the action picked up. The VFX are visually impressive though occasionally veer towards the silly. However, it mostly plays a supporting role instead of being a focal point. Ultimately, the cherry on top was Ramin Djawadi’s powerful score. His ability to score television series, going back to Game of Thrones and Westworld among others, is unparalleled and his work here is worthy of that same pedestal. In the end, while an epic human story, it is one that doesn’t quite together as seamlessly as it could have towards the final stretch of the season.

In a series whose sum of their parts outweigh them individually, the best part of 3 Body Problem is the performances of its impressive cast and their strong chemistry. Though the writing may not be 100% there, that chemistry goes a long way in creating that intended dynamic that the series is banking on to bring viewers along. Adepo, Bradley, Hong, and Sharp are great together and fun to watch as they played their parts in the story. That being said, it would have been nice to know more about them on an individual level and maybe another season can explore that dynamic more deeply. Meanwhile, Shi was undoubtedly the most interesting character of the series and most of that can be attributed to Wong’s charming and scene-stealing performance as the unsung janitor doing all the work behind-the-scenes. Also getting some shots in was Cunningham as Wade whose unique sense of humor made the shadowy figure endearing.

Overall, 3 Body Problem is the next epic Netflix series and a worthy follow-up for David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as they moved on from fantasy to the world of sci-fi with another end-of-the-world thriller. A compelling twisty turny journey that is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, a great cast makes it a ride worth taking.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.