With its mythic reputation, there’s no surprise Cixin Liu’s “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” trilogy is the newest Netflix adaptation.
Consisting of The Three-Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End, Liu’s series depicts mankind as it contends with an invading alien civilization 400 years in the future. The series emphasizes the science component of science fiction. Extradimensional physics are explored, solutions are provided for the Fermi Paradox, and human civilization is documented from the present day to the far future.
This series is complex. With its dense scientific material and the many mind-bending environments described, making any attempt at adaptation a tall order. However, Netflix decided they were up to the task, and the end result is 3 Body Problem, which released its complete first season on March 21.
It’s worth noting Netflix’s version is as much a reimagining of the series as it is an adaptation. While the books take place in China, with nearly every character being Chinese, the show is based in the United Kingdom. Its cast consists of a wide array of ethnicities, including the reinterpretation of Luo Ji, one of the trilogy’s protagonists, as an African American named Saul Durand.
Normally, these changes by a Western entertainment corporation would spur controversies over race-swapping, but here it works surprisingly well. With a conflict as global as a looming alien invasion, an internationally diverse cast helps to convey humanity as a whole dealing with its newfound crisis, with some uniting to combat the threat while others turn against one another. It’s worth noting certain characters remain unchanged from the novels—including one whose Chinese nationality is fundamental to the story.
One criticism of the books is that the characters are mostly flat and uninteresting—a death sentence in the worlds of film and TV. The show succeeds in making its cast livelier and more likeable, including a standout performance from Liam Cunningham as a ruthless intelligence officer.
More questionably, the show reimagines several characters who never interact in the books as a tight-knit group of friends. This ultimately harms the show’s intent of expanding the scope of the story, as it seems laughably contrived humankind’s most important scientists just happened to all know each other in college.
Another choice Netflix made is to adapt not only the first book, but also parts of books two and three. These changes work for the most part—the show gets to explore the immediate aftermath of humanity learning about the future invasion, something it couldn’t do if it ended in the first novel. Unfortunately, this creates occasional pacing problems, and the final episode is largely devoted to introducing a plot thread which won’t be explored until the show’s second season.
In general, the scope of 3 Body Problem exposes its biggest failing. The series is ultimately about the terror of learning we’re not alone in the universe, and how utterly insignificant mankind is compared to what else might be out there. The books drip with existential dread in a way the show never quite replicates—even if omitting many of the books’ long-winded explanations and metaphors might have been a wise choice for TV.
Despite my complaints, there’s lots to love about 3 Body Problem. Several key scenes are adapted masterfully, including a breathtaking sequence involving an oil tanker and the world’s thinnest wire. The first season is great, and I want it to get a second season that’s excellent. The remaining books contain some of my favourite moments in all of sci-fi, and if this show has the chance to faithfully bring them to life, it could expose countless more people to a series that will someday be remembered as the defining sci-fi work of the 21st century.
Tags
adaptation, Netflix, sci-fi, TV
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