Achi news desk-
Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, Liu Cixin’s trilogy series of novels has been critically acclaimed for being one of the most popular reads in the science fiction genre. The first novel of the acclaimed series is now being adapted by Netflix into an intense, brooding and mind-bending series; One who managed to build a fascinating narrative through his creativity. Thus, ‘3 Body Problems’ came to life as a leaner and more diverse version of the book, turning it into a very different kind of story.
Game of Thrones fame creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss successfully delivered one of the toughest sci-fi cues, along with co-showrunner Alexander Wu, turning ‘3 Body Problems’ into a visual spectacle, with plenty of thrills and moments. If there’s one thing that might keep you from praising it, it might be that the characters get alien technology that will travel through different dimensions. But still, the series’ annoying twists and turns will probably leave you too starry-eyed to notice.
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The opening scene of the first episode of the series begins with an astrophysics student seeing her academic father mercilessly beaten to death right in front of her eyes. The scene shifts to London in the year 2024, where a detective, De Shi (Benedict Wong), tries to understand the violent death of a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
The show then follows a group of former physics students called the Oxford Five as they struggle to interpret these mysterious events. These five are Jin Cheng (played by Jess Hong), a physicist with an as yet undisclosed connection to the suicides; Augie Salazar (Eiza González), a nanomaterials engineer with a strong social ethic; college dropout and high school teacher Will Downing (Alex Sharp), who still harbors unrequited love for Cheng; Former physicist and snack tycoon Jack Rooney (John Bradley), and unmotivated research assistant Sol Durand (Juven Adefo).
3 Body Problem has very little resemblance to traditional science fiction stories. It has a lot to do with human life with a series of suicides occurring among elite scientists based out of London. The story also talks about mental problems. There is no doubt that the sci-fi series puts a special emphasis on China, and also works spectacularly in parts, such as the human account that was of a corrupt quality like the drying/dressing cycles. Scenes of Heartbreaking Terror – The scene where the revamped Doomsday oil tanker runs into the nanoweb is the stuff of nightmares. The scenes in China and Mongolia featuring a young Wenji are moving to say the least. Ramin Djawadi’s music is hauntingly spectacular.
Even as the first season of the series presents scientific concepts in great detail and with excellent visual execution, the philosophical and moral questions of the series are even more relevant. Wu, Weiss, and Benioff seamlessly direct viewers to challenge their biases. The Trisolars are shown in a short scene where the unspecified alien species is unable to understand the concept of the fictional wolf of Red Riding Hood, and the viewer is then forced to question the existence of individuality, consciousness and morality.
Clearly, this adaptation is an ambitious and fascinating opening for what is sure to be the foundation for the future of such brilliant sci-fi series. Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is not only exciting but also a fascinating opener that is fun to watch.
