Review of 3 Body Problem — the latest and much-hyped sci-fi series on Netflix

We're slow, we're dumb, and we die easy. We're bugs!

These lines may not mean much just when you read them. But if you play enough heed, you might see a lot of depth in these otherwise odd choice of words. And that's the whole concept of this mind-blowing series, adapted from the much-acclaimed story by the brilliant sci-fi author Liu Cixin ✨

Fun fact: Though the story was first out in 2006, its English translation was only published 10 years ago, in 2014.

The series starts with one of the most gripping and hardcore first scene I've witnessed in a long-long time, movies, series, all put together. One important thing about this scene, and the story in general, is that we have no real idea about the horror and tragedies that other humans have gone through.

The series is gaining crazily alarming reactions from the book lovers. But to state a fact, there is very little chance the people watching the series would've read the books. And that includes me.

So I have no idea if the series is any true and faithful to the books. And quite honestly, to an average viewer, it hardly matters.

3 Body Problem is about a group of 5 friends, brought together by their almost genius love for Science. And how they have to face the consequences of what was started almost half a century ago in China.

If you don't know the actual story, you cannot really guess what the series holds beyond what's written above. And that's a super thing!

Let's start with the downers. The script is weak, mostly uneven and some instances, episodes included, are boring fillers. The characterization is not as strong as you'd expect it to be, given the grand scale and stakes of this series. It will be difficult to figure who's the protagonist though by definition, you'd know who really is that. But worse, you'd hardly feel bad or root for anyone, which is a big letdown. We got to do better! 🤭

⚠️ Spoilers ahead ⚠️

Having shared these bads, I can say with confidence that the goods outweigh the bads. Almost every production these days is top-notch. The art, the VFX, the acting, it's hard to question or find faults here.

But beyond that, some of the set pieces, that sew the narrative together are just beyond marvelous. The first scene set in China, the winking sky, the game, the slicing of Judgment Day, the bugs announcement — each one of these are beyond amazing 🤩

But what would set this series apart and something we must think over, again and again, are the questions the series champions in raising. And mind you, these questions are not something we would encounter ever again, unless another genius of a story becomes famous enough to brighten our screen and lives 🤯

Let me share some samples of these questions here. 1. If something you've worked all your life, with all heart and passion, is about to finally take shape, and between that and your life, you have to choose one, what would you choose?

2. If the fate of the entire humanity is dependent on one response you can choose to not give, and you feel let down by the same humanity, what would you do?

3. If your brain is removed from your body, and shot in space, to travel to another world, where these other creatures could regenerate your body, but may choose not to, and you could sense everything but never see, respond, touch, smell or have any control over what happens to you from here on, would you allow this to happen to your brain, if given a chance?

I can go on and on about such questions, and how our lives are made of such answers and choices we make every minute, everyday, without realising!