I’ve been waiting for this one to drop, not because I loved the novel but because I sorta didn’t. Three Body Problem is inarguably one of the great SF epics released this century and a genuine cross-cultural success. But I didn’t really dig on it, even as I recognised, reading it, what an amazing piece of writing it was.
I loved the idea, however, so shamefully I’ve been hanging out for Benioff and Wiess to bring the old GoT magic to the adaptation. And I think they do. I’ve only watched two eps so far, but they get the hook in quickly, and it sticks.
The critical reception has been mixed and, as you’d expect, there’s a lot of posturing from the online Chinese fap battalions about how much better their adaptation is. I suspect the Chinese adaptation is simply more faithful to the original. But that doesn’t make it better, at least not for me.
The NYT’s TV writer seemed to enjoy his review episodes.
Most of the first season’s plot comes straight from Liu’s work. The biggest changes are in story structure and location. Liu’s trilogy, while wide-ranging, focused largely on Chinese characters and had specifically Chinese historical and political overtones. Benioff, Weiss and Woo have globalized the story, shifting much of the action to London, with a multiethnic cast. (Viewers interested in a more literal rendition of Liu’s story can watch last year’s stiff but thorough Chinese adaptation on Peacock.)
They’ve also given Liu’s heavy science a dose of the humanities. Liu is a brilliant novelist of speculative ideas, but his characters can read like figures from story problems. In the series, a little playful dialogue goes a long way toward leavening all the Physics 101.
So does casting. Wong puffs life into his generically hard-boiled gumshoe. Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth in “Thrones”) stands out as Thomas Wade, a sharp-tongued spymaster, as does Rosalind Chao as Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist whose brutal experience in the Cultural Revolution makes her question her allegiance to humanity. Zine Tseng is also excellent as the young Ye.
More curious, if understandable, is the decision to shuffle and reconfigure characters from throughout Liu’s trilogy into a clique of five attractive Oxford-grad prodigies who carry much of the narrative…
I don’t think that’s a curious decision. It’s conventional, and in storytelling terms it’s wise. Even the Times immediately qualifies its curiosity by admitting the decision was understandable. Adaptations gonna adapt.
Plus, it’s got a lovely classic 1950s throwback feel to a time when all science fiction movies were always about scientists and aliens.
Long story short. I’m enjoying it bigly.