X
- 2024
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2024
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2024
- TV-MA
- Netflix
- 2024
- TV-MA
- Netflix
3 Body Problem
Season 1 Premiere: Mar 21, 2024
70
6.2
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 41 Critic Reviews
70
73% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
24% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 41 Critic Reviews
70
73% Positive
30 Reviews
30 Reviews
24% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
We’ve seen intelligent approaches to first contact (Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival” and Robert Zemeckis’ “Contact” come to mind), but wrapped in this thriller genre, with these mysteries, these characters and this interesting structure, “3 Body” feels unique.
Ultimately, “3 Body Problem” works on a few levels. It’s a detective story, it’s a mystery box, it’s a grand visual spectacle, it’s a friendship drama, and, most of all, it’s an imagination-prodding piece of sci-fi. I’m not sure where it will go, if it is renewed, but the first season stands as a challenging and rewarding set of episodes. I’m on board for the next phase of this provocative intergalactic trip.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 317 User Ratings
6.2
56% Positive
179 Ratings
179 Ratings
19% Mixed
61 Ratings
61 Ratings
24% Negative
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 317 User Ratings
6.2
56% Positive
179 Ratings
179 Ratings
19% Mixed
61 Ratings
61 Ratings
24% Negative
77 Ratings
77 Ratings
I had really high hopes for this one, but it left me disappointed. It is a very lackluster series. First of all, the casting is not ideal. For example, Mrs. Gonzales' character is very annoying and doesn't match the sci-fi theme that this series should have (it doesn't). Also, I feel bad for Alex Sharp as he has to play a sad boy throughout all 8 episodes. I can only say something positive about Jess Jong and Mr. Wong, as those two simply delivered. For the most part, actors seem like they don't try as much as they should. Dialogues are ridiculous sometimes and mediocre for the most part. I haven't experienced a series with that many technical issues for quite some time. I believe that they were heavily using an anamorphic lens, but it seems like with little or no experience because many times the focus on characters' faces that are on the sides of the screen are crushed. Weird editing issues. Lackluster lighting. Bad CGI. Inconsistent color grading. Inconsistent narrative tempo. I could go on and on. But the worst thing is that it doesn't reflect the climate that the book portrayed. Shooting in England as the main location killed it for me.
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Viewers new to the story should find it exciting on its own. (You do not need to have read the books first; you should never need to read the books to watch a TV series.) But the book trilogy does go to some weird, grim — and presumably challenging to film — places, and it will be interesting to see if and how future seasons follow. For now, there’s flair, ambition and galaxy-brain twists aplenty.
3 Body Problem actually benefits from being binge-watched. There is so much going on that a week-to-week release is likely to leave viewers scratching their heads if they aren't fully giving the show their complete attention. The multiple storylines that intersect with each other at different points in time also make the series incredibly rewatchable.
3 Body Problem may fail to inspire true awe, but there’s enough fun, shock, and horror to keep sci-fi fans engaged. It is a completely competent season of television.
A glorious, gaudy galactic mess. Problems? Loads of them. But marvel at the ambition.
Where Liu’s books repeatedly deepen and complicate our understanding of the aliens’ motives—and even whether, if they do plan to annihilate humanity to make room for themselves, that would be such a bad thing—the series is unequivocal in its depiction of them as an invasive threat, which makes the analogy to real-life migrants incoherent at best. Good thing the show seems to forget about it as soon as it’s established.
I need more! The show is a slow burn but has these massively thought provoking moments that make you think about what you would do in these characters shoes. I do feel like the characters themselves need to be more flushed out but Da, Wil and Ye are standouts. The visual effects were not consistent but I moved passed it and just asked myself “what is trying to be conveyed here?” and got it.
The feeling of true hopelessness in this story was a strange one to enjoy, but just let it come and embrace the ride. I like that without seeing the enemy provided fear, knowing they are still there and there is no escaping them. It’s brilliant. I really want to know how this whole story shakes out good or bad. This is going to be one of those shows I watch on repeat.
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This is ok. The story is kind of convoluted, but it can be followed. It helps to have read his books. This series is a bit different, people and places but the idea is there. Visual media is different than books but it can be just as good. This isn't as good as the books but it is ok. We'd rate it: "go ahead and watch. It is fun if you like SciFi."
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It was very hard to adapt this for Western audiences, and the dumbing down was inevitable, but the Netflix look doesn't suit well at all. A more serious HBO production would've been better. Cramming one book and a half in 8 episodes resulted in a rushed story with so many cool subplots and details lost. And the CGI is terrible, especially during the Panama sequence. Nevertheless, there are some cool characters here, like Wade, Ye Weinje, Wil, and Da Shi. And the season ends in a very interesting place, so I'm curious how they will handle the next eras.
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The making of it had the emotion needed and interesting characters, but it was slow. They kept rehashing the ideas. An ending requires three things: resolution of conflict, questions answered, and theme restated. They only did one out of the three. Even as it dragged, I stayed for the promise **** ending. I was cheated. I will not be back for seasons 2-5 they plan. There were some good scenes, but overall, it fell flat. I understand the book is excellent, and I probably will pick that up to satisfy my curiosity.
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We don't get many cerebral titles, so I was quite excited about this one. However, I cannot recommend it to fans of the genre. It is pretentious, inconsistent, and boring, and it's filled with woeful characters that fail to engage or evoke empathy. Despite its ambitious attempt, it falls short of delivering a compelling or thought-provoking experience.
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Production Company:
- Bighead Littlehead
- Netflix Studios
- Plan B Entertainment
- Primitive Streak
- T-Street
- The Three-Body Universe
- YooZoo Pictures
Initial Release Date: Mar 21, 2024
Number of seasons: 1 Season
Rating: TV-MA
