3 Body Problem review: Netflix adaptation of Chinese sci-fi phenomenon misses the mark

New big-budget series by Game of Thrones creators has an original story but takes patience to absorb

Eiza Gonzalez stars as Auggie Salazar in 3 Body Problem. Photo: Netflix

3 Body Problem is the first show from creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss since the divisive final season of Game Of Thrones in 2019.

Given the number of viewers who felt the conclusion of that fantasy epic was rushed, disappointing and disjointed, the pair’s next project was expected to be heavily scrutinised. Diehard Game Of Thrones fans will be hoping for something similar, while those who felt cheated will see any failure as proof of their ineptitude.

For long periods of 3 Body Problem’s opening episode, Countdown, it looks as though Benioff, Weiss and their co-creator Alexander Woo have misfired with their adaptation of Liu Cixin’s celebrated 2006 novel, which has since sold an estimated eight million copies, including 1.5 million outside of China. Its various plots fail to gel, too much is left unsaid, and the characters feel one-dimensional and, in some cases, downright annoying.

Countdown begins at Beijing Tsinghua University in 1966, when Mao Zedong’s cultural revolution leads to the persecution of teachers. Teenager Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng) watches in the crowd as her mother betrays her physics professor father, which leads to him being beaten to death by the Red Guards. Soon, Ye is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, only to later be recruited by military physicists for a secret Chinese mission involving high-powered radio waves.

Meanwhile, in London, 2024, detective Da Shi (Benedict Wong) is investigating the mysterious deaths of more than 30 scientists. This brings him into the orbit of the Oxford Five, a group of scientists who, because of Ye’s actions more than 50 years earlier, witness the laws of nature unravelling, which ultimately leads to the biggest threat in the history of humanity.

3 Body Problem tells its story in a non-linear fashion, which is exactly what holds Countdown back and makes for a slow and frustrating start. Each time the show begins to pick up rhythm, it deviates into another story that then slows it right back down again. The saving grace is its fearless exploration of ambitious and intelligent topics, like scientific theories, technology, and whether we’re alone in the universe, which keep 3 Body Problem intriguing through its issues.

From left: Eiza Gonzalez as Auggie Salazar, Jess Hong as Jin Cheng, Saamer Usmani as Raj Varma, Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand and Alex Sharp as Will Downing in 3 Body Problem. Photo: Netflix

There’s just enough in Countdown to make viewers want to watch the second episode, Red Coast, which is when the show, rather than improving in quality, takes a sillier approach, while still covering the same weighty and scientific subjects. Key to this is John Bradley. The Game Of Thrones star plays the polar opposite of the loveable Samwell Tarly, as Jack Rooney is the most loutish and arrogant member of the quintuplet.

Rooney and Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) find themselves in possession of headsets with technological qualities way beyond those of mankind. When they put the headsets on they’re able to travel through time, while they can also taste, smell, feel and even die, although they’re instantly able to regenerate. This helps to make 3 Body Problem’s scientific pursuits all the more digestible. Not everything that comes out of Bradley’s mouth is funny, but he makes it much more lighthearted and enjoyable.

The dynamic between the rest of the Oxford Five doesn’t quite work, especially between Saul (Jovan Adepo) and Auggie (Eiza Gonzalez), who aren’t interesting enough to be so irritating and distant. The always charismatic Wong, and Da Shi’s pursuit of the scientists, keeps the mystery at the heart of 3 Body Problem ticking over nicely. By episode three, Destroyer Of Worlds, enough surprises and revelations have been made, as well as many more questions posed, to really hook those who have persisted.

3 Body Problem is far from a perfect show. Its lack of visual fair is hugely disappointing and each episode goes on at least 10 minutes too long. But its ideas and themes are so original – and Benioff, Weiss and Woo present them in such a warm and compelling manner – that, while viewers might not always know exactly what’s going on, it i’s always fascinating, at times captivating, and occasionally both.