Nah, I'm out. The Chinese version, while lower budget, was better. This is more drama/relationships/love nonsense.
I guess Netflix Fans will enjoy it.
Another Netflix crap full of propaganda.
I recommend people watch 'three body' China's adaption available on YouTube with English subtitles, Total 30 episodes are there because Netflix adaptation is worst claims by many critics
Nearly stopped watching after Episode 1+2 were a snoozefest.
Very glad I didn't.
How to put it all into words. Dumb characters. Weak acting. Disappointing story. Plenty of Butts. Why?
i read and loved the book. never watched the Chinese version.netflix one is very promising after 2 episodes. i enjoyed it a lot. the book maybe slow paced at times, the series adaptation is really good. worth the wait.
Two episodes in and I find this compelling and better than the Chinese version (in terms of pacing). If you're a scifi fan looking for new ideas and concepts to expand your horizons then this is definitely right up your alley.
I watched this show with high expectations for its rumored excellent visual effects, but it doesn't seem worth the $260 million investment.
The ending was underwhelming.
The firsts episodes were nice and entertaining, while the second half looks like an entirely different plot than what we got introduced to, and unfortunately, this second plot isn't great imo.
I like it overall.
What I don't understand is why an advanced civilization spends all their resources on building arks, travelling 400 years and seeking out contact with another species instead of building a Dyson sphere or ring in a single solar system next door. Why is the first contact a singular entity warning her and later it's a hivemind with shared thoughts?
Watched first episode and the characters are as interesting as stale biscuits. If this series is about aliens taking over the world, I’m on the alien’s side as humanity has lost the plot. Typical gender bashing of white males - portraying them as having the same intelligence as plankton.
Netflix series characters and their book counterparts:
• Saul Durand ≈ Luo Ji
• Jack Rooney ≈ Yun Tianming's entrepreneur friend
• Auggie Salazar ≈ Wang Miao
• Jin Cheng ≈ Cheng Xin
• Tatiana ≈ ETO guard who holds a mini nuke
• Will Downing ≈ Yun Tianming
• Raj Varmar ≈ Zhang Beihai (educated guess)
• Clarence Shi ≈ Shi Qiang, aka Da Shi
• Vera Ye ≈ Yang Dong
• Collins ≈ ?
Looking forward to it now
D&D have done it again! (created a disappointment)
While the Tencent adaptation had some flaws, notably very poor pacing and some downright bizarre acting and editing, I think it was an overall better experience. Netflix cut the runtime significantly, which could have been an improvement, but they did it to the point of skipping several important developments in the story. Yet, they found ways to waste precious minutes on scenes that dragged on longer than they should have, some of which didn't add anything to the story. It's only because I watched the Tencent adaptation that I was able to appreciate some of the ideas in the Netflix adaptation, since I knew what they were covering in spite of the skipped story beats. If I hadn't, I'd either feel like I was just watching a series of spoilers, or be confused about the point of it all.
Many positive reviews are downplaying negative ones for being pedantic and expecting a direct adaptation from the books, but this is feels reductionist and disingenuous. I think it's fine to diverge from the source material, but it should be done thoughtfully. In my opinion, the Netflix adaptation fails on its own merits. Some of the changes seem to be done in the interest of simplification, but this introduces plot holes, some of which must have been done against the recommendation of scientific advisors on staff. For example, I don't think the sophon was capable of unfolding itself (Trisolaris spent an unfathomable amount of time and energy building them), yet in this adaptation the sophon does it on a whim just to create a menacing eye in the sky? Why not just starve the planet of sunlight then and finish the story right there? Originally, the eye was observed during a failed Trisolaran unfolding attempt, alluding to a sentient threat gaining access to our universe from another dimension.
Tencent gave the viewer many episodes to theory-craft why "physics doesn't exist", what the motive could be for targeting scientists, who or what could be behind it, the purpose behind the game and so forth. The characters slowly whittled down the possibilities and eventually unveiled the truth. The show drip fed information to the viewer through the eyes of the characters which often became relevant much later, such as the flying blade. It went into philosophical thought experiments that conveyed the existential dread of the situation, like the turkey scientist and the farmer. It also covered several interesting physics concepts in a way that was easy to process and yet showed respect to the viewer.
Netflix? Nah, it's aliens bro, it's right there in the trailer on YouTube. There's no respect for the viewer, so there's no attempt made to even cover concepts like cosmic background radiation. It did cover a few at least, like FTL communication with entangled sophon pairs, the staircase project, etc. Netflix did also foreshadow some concepts that do come later in the books, sometimes with just novel covers shown on screen, some in dialogue, such as the Fermi Paradox and the Wallfacer project.
I believe the Oxford Five were created to be more relatable to the viewer than Wang Miao, but I think this again shows little respect for the viewer. They achieved this in part in the laziest way possible, such as having many of them just curse in every scene. I don't think it's necessary to relate to every character, and it can certainly be done in ways beyond superficial means like gender and race like what was attempted here. The story is about the science of it all, the universe, and this extends beyond the lifespan of a single person who likes to go drinking at a bar with friends. Most of us aren't top-tier scientists, we're not going to think like Oppenheimer or Feynman, this is fine. I found my immersion broken at several points when I saw the protagonists succumbing to irrational ways of thinking. To be a successful academic at such a high level would likely entail some core beliefs about the world and ways of thinking that wouldn't come off as people reading emotional lines off a script.
Is this D&D adaptation as bad as GoT S8? Definitely not. It's several points better, but the bar is pretty low. There were some redeeming moments, a few funny lines in almost every episode, I particularly liked some parts of the last one.
I do think it can still be worth a watch. However, I highly recommend starting with the Tencent adaptation, or reading the books first. Those are more of a journey, whereas this comes off more as a poorly written fan wiki with spoilers. I think this version can really rob you of the awe inspiring ideas in the source material and Chinese adaptation. My hope is that some people will find this version interesting enough to delve into the source material.
Ok at first, then great (for like one scene).. then so meh I do not give a shit if they cancel this.
Dan and Dave have once again managed to ruin another franchise. This is a woke Netflix adaptation with nonsensical gender swaps, interracial relationships, and current-day politics. If that isn’t off-putting enough, Dan and Dave deliver immersion-breaking dialogue littered with swear words and overall lazy writing, reminiscent of the final seasons of Game of Thrones. It’s unfaithful to the books, rushed, simplified, and dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. While a casual Netflix audience might enjoy this, being accustomed to mediocrity, I recommend sticking with the books or watching the Chinese (Tencent) adaptation.
Tried to like this - couldn't make it very far. Convoluted nonsense.
As much as this show was over hyped, I've struggled to watch every single episode of this while hoping to be 'wowed' by the next. I'm now watching episode 7 (while dozing). 1 more to go and I really don't know who to recommend this show to because it's freaking confusing.
Just watch the free Chinese version on youtube instead. It adapts the book in a much better way
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDWJ213d2Ucr-3q9LDF9P1_j3Rr3GMJeS
Why did they make the protagonist into 5 people. It makes it so bad.
I can't wait for this. I want to see this Western adaptation of the novel and compare it with the 2023 adaptation made by Tencent (China).
Utter waste of my time. They turned a fascinating, hard sci-fi, thought provoking series into a BBC Sunday afternoon dialed in melodrama.
First I started out curious, full of questions and without understanding anything and in the end I ended up the same way I started.
Awful, depressing, disturbing show with meaningless, senseless violence and suicide scenes.
It's not entertaining at all, only upsetting just to shock the viewers, which is emotionally harmful in my opinion.
If you are a parent, you really shouldn't let your children watch this without parental advisory (or maybe not at all) if you ask me. I'm fifty years old, but even I found myself depressed after trying to watch this show.
And by the way, I wouldn't even call this show "sci-fi", I mean this isn't something sci-fi genre should be like... at all. It's more of a philosophical shock-fest drama.
Boring. It had potential but it's just boring.
Recognizing a terror organization as symbol of hope is just pathetic. Once again Netlifx doesnt surprise with its production stupidity. Apart from that it is an interesting sci-fi to watch with a good cast.
They are like Jews, they don't mind killing innocents en masse including children
I finally finished the season and can weigh in as a book reader.
Note - This season covers all of Book 1 and Part 1 of Book 2.
Overall, I found it entertaining as a summary of the books, but was quite disappointed with the original additions to the plot. I'm by no means a "book purist" or one of those annoying pendants. I didn't mind the creative freedom they took with the characters. But their original additions to the plot, like all of episode 6 and 7, just plain sucked.
I feel this adaptation robs non-book readers of the depth and complexity the author intended. The slow reveals in the book, which can be mind blowing when you realize where they're going with it, are reduced to one-liners in the show. It's almost like reading a bullet point summary of all the major plot points and spoilers.
I would cut them some slack since it would be a lot to cover in eight hours, BUT, they carelessly waste at least four of those hours on original material (which sucked) and filler.
As for positives, Episode 5 was by far my favorite. I'm writing this spoiler free, so I won't go into details, but they did a great job adapting one of the memorable scenes from the book. They keep the intensity pumping and finish strong, getting genuine "wow"s from the group I watched this with. Ep1-5 would have made a fine miniseries. Unfortunately, then it spirals off into two unbelievably shitty original episodes. Thankfully, they (mostly) return to the source material in the final episode for a decent finish to the season.
If you have even the slightest interest in the books, or audiobooks, do yourself a favor and read/listen to them before watching the show.
It's brilliant. I don't care how the books, or the Chinese version are, this is amazing. It's well done, it's clever, it's different, it's entertaining, it's intriguing. The only negative is... I WANT THE REST.... yesterday!
I haven't read the novel, but the subject is very interesting. All in all a good reinterpretation of a science fiction classic: aliens invading the Earth. The idea that will happen in the future it creates depth to the story, which in this first season is well established episode after episode. For now he deserves a 7-8, let's see how the second season develops.
Hard to believe it’s from creator of Westworld. Maybe he’s teaching how to make TV shows and this is students work.
I don’t know if the book is same, but this is so full of silliest cliches and terrible dialogue. Amateur writing and direction.
We get more high profile tv series now with lesser quality.
Ultimately, I found this rather painful to watch. I'm not familiar with the novel, but I have to assume it explains the characters and conflicts much better than this show.
Everyone behaves in such a rigid, transparent manner. I almost never understood the actions and views of the main characters. Why do they have such strong, close-minded opinions on everything?
I waited the whole show for any of these supposed human geniuses to be smart or clever or display proactive agency.
There are a few strong moments throughout the season, but I found Will to be the only character who was not only well acted but also consistently well written.
Skip to episode 5 nothing worth mentioning happens before, watch ep 6, fast forward ep 7 until (you'll know when to stop) watch 5 minutes of that. Skip 8 completely. As a rule, watch only the scenes Thomas Wade and Mike Evans are in, tje rest is malarkey. I have never watched such childish pseudoscience bullshit. Anyone with elementary knowledge of physics would laugh at that. Also Aliens are "watching everything, knowing all" but let humanity do what they did(no spoilers) unbothered... Only a child and GenZ would find this worthy of their time. P. S. WOKENESS on full throttle, women are heroes men are retarded or evil etc RATE 1/10
Based on 1st season
I was extremely biased to the hyped and of course it was on Netflix, but didn't know that it was based on those excellent books and on the Chinese version. I was very surprised, like "Dark" surprised. maybe the best show of Netflix after the destruction of all brain cells with its shows in the past years.
The production is of high value, i do not know the comparison or if it is better than the other version, a lot of people claim to see the Chinese one but i'm not sure you can trust them as it tend to be exaggerating. Seams like debate of Utopia UK vs Utopia US
Brilliant story, fantastic sci-fi although with a lot of terms that you will never understand.
In overall of course you must see the show.
I can't even have a proper review for this show, because I feel like the story barely started.
Everything about this introduction had great quality though.
I am not a smart person which means I definitely do not understand sci-fi. Not sure what this is about so I am out not for me.
One of the best Sci Fi series ever made. I'm blown away with the amount of genius involved in this. The score was beautiful, the cgi was beautiful, the story was beautiful, and the acting and dialogue was beautiful. The plot actually made sense to me even though it was complicating. The gore and horror elements spooked me enough for me to shut my eyes. It hooked me in and reeled me closer every episode, and I loved the way something big actually happened every 2 episodes. It felt fairly paced. The money from all 837 producers really shows in the quality, and so do the minds. It all depends on whether Netflix cancels this or not. Otherwise, it'll have been a big waste.
I liked it, but I didn't love it....
I felt that they wanted to cover a lot in a short time and from that point on it lost me...
The performances are good, but they could have been better...
There are things that with more detail would have been better...
The only thing I liked were the special effects...
The season ends at episode five.
netflix turned a typical sexism sci-fi novel (the translator fixed the sexism in english version if you didnt know) into something worth watching by the major population, nice nice.
The academy award should go to the person who put together the trailer, because when it comes to the actual episodes they were dull and boring and the last episode has to be the most underwhelming I have ever watched.
got me on the edge of my seat until the last episode. Can't wait for season 2 !
Pretty compelling and can't wait for the second season.
If I find a TV adaption compelling, I sure as hell will enjoy the books! Added to my "Want to read" list :)
I enjoy the thought of giving this more depth. And for the TV series, I'd find it interesting to get a next generation of main characters + Mr. Wade, to see what humanity comes up with over the years.
Boring and obnoxious.
Gonna read books and watch Chinese show.
Season 1 was better than expected. I read the first book in the series and I found it to be too dry and highbrow in some parts. I'm very happy with the changes and direction the show runners are taking this TV series. Let's hope we don't have to wait 2-3 years for the next season.
The most amazing Sci-fi tv show I have seen, ever. The only people trashing this fantastic show, are book readers who are expecting a faithful to the t adaptation. That is not feasible.
The other ones having a moan, are the ones who have a problem with diversity.
I really liked the book trilogy, it's probably my favourite sci-fi novel. Very captivating political and technological concepts.
Been waiting for this series (I haven't watched the Chinese ones but I've heard they have a big pacing problem) and I was not disappointed. Very nice to see the adaptation of the big events on screen.
[I enjoyed the books, if you haven't read them, this "review" may feel too negative.]
Far too short, more like a YouTube video summarizing the source material. The opposite problem of the Chinese adaptation, which should've taken ~20 episodes, the Netflix show finishes in 6 episodes. The last two episodes are actually from the second book. It feels like fans of the book won't be getting a good adaptation this decade.
There was an expectation of "globalizing" the characters. Which would make sense as the books were written by a Chinese author, for a Chinese audience, in China. However, rewriting the characters has gone through the usual filter. Ye Wenjie no longer has the mannerisms of an academic that survived the Cultural Revolution. Da Shi comes off as a depressed, alcoholic, 70's London detective, instead of simple-mannered, yet uncharacteristically inquisitive. Luo Ji (Saul) doesn't have a flair of confidence.
And Auggie is clearly the writing team's self-insert.
What I expected was a proper globalized cast of characters, not a globalized set of actors. Instead we got a set of British insufferable academics with a coating of "global" veneer.
Too much content was cut from the book. Many rightly point out that nothing cut was required to understand the upcoming plot. However, key elements that build a proper background for the world are missing. Such as the internal conflicts of the ETO, which itself seemed to be missing. The sophons end up explaining the whole plan, instead of characters putting clues together and solving the puzzle themselves. And there was a lack of respect paid to the science, the infamous example of cosmic flicker being most talked about.
Not being Chinese, I won't comment on how much Chinese characteristics were adapted from the book. I did appreciate the show calling the aliens San-Ti, instead of Trisolarians in the book translation.
Not all was terrible, though. Elements from the second and third books were brought in appropriately, avoiding the time jumps from the source material. Jin Cheng is well adapted from Wang Miao. Compared to the Tencent adaptation, Mike Evans is appropriately aged, and has history with Ye Wenjie beyond just "the job". Wade is well portrayed by Liam Cunningham, which I expect the Tencent adaptation to disappoint.
Watchable; and as I enjoyed the books, I'll definitely check out the second season, which may be easier to adapt to this type of fast TV.
It has a taste of Westworld. I mean, its good taste but also its bad taste (especially S03 & S04)
One of the most best sci-fi I've watched ever. I usually do not watch sci-fi but this one is something else, specially I love visuals. If you're a sci-fi fan then you can't miss this one.
Is it the best show I've ever watched, no. But it is compelling and bingeworthy in my opinion. I've never watched the Chinese version or read the books and it was still a good watch. The CGI was not great and they used a lot of it. I feel like some of the storylines kind of dropped off and got forgotten. I will say, there was a lot a shit talking on this show but I ignored it found a show that was good and worth the watch.
Really strong overall. The acting and writing quality vary, and some technological leaps are hand-waved away, but the big ideas kept me coming back.
The first 5 episodes are very strong with sci-fi themes. The last 3 episodes are weak watered-down relationship tropes that honestly the show did not need whatsoever.
Why hook your sci-fi lovers with sci-fi content, then push them away at the end? Did Netflix think that by adding some emotional writing at the end would hook the non-sci-fi lovers? I don't think it serves either type of person. Just leave it out.
With that said, I can appreciate some of the emotional content that was peppered in the first few episodes; It kept the show grounded. But anything more than that was unnecessary.
I still liked it, but I hope season two will trim the fat and deliver mostly sci-fi. It's a very compelling story!
Would you look at that, D&D swung and missed a slow pitch softball yet again! The softball being a well written completed story this time. That’s two strikes. SMH. Do yourself a favor and just stop watching after episode 5.
Wow! I really oved it!
It's brilliant. I don't care how the books, or the Chinese version are, this is amazing. It's well done, it's clever, it's different, it's entertaining, it's intriguing. The only negative is... I WANT THE REST.... yesterday!
I could have known this is another hyped netflix show, you can skip this nothing to see here
Show and season 1 rated a 9
The bottom line:
There is always an explanation for everything. Whether it's our ignorance or the human capacity to be shit to ourselves.
In my opinion, it doesn't live up to the hype.
I haven't read the books and was looking forward to unique sci-fi. Unfortunately, what was delivered was a terribly boring, sci-fi-tinged cheap drama with no content - stretched out to 8 lame episodes.
The story offers such an incredible basis that I really don't understand what went wrong here.
Especially with such a budget... the majority of it must have been spent convincing the board not to write off the entire production without broadcasting it.
In any case, I bet that there will be NO second season and if there is, it will definitely be without me
Started out strong and interesting, then derailed completely with typical uninteresting Netflix nonsense about relationships and people no one cares about. As if the writers went on strike mid-script. Even without knowing the original source, it's pretty clear what has been added on top by the makers of this show. So if I'd had to mention something good that came out of it it'd be that it got me interested in the original material.
3 Body Problem - :heart:x7
I enjoyed this show, but I did not believe it lived up to the hype. I found the concept to be intriguing. The show was a bit heavy on the Drama tho. I am however looking forward to season 2.
How I rate:
1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time
4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this
7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too
9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
After reading reviews thought this was not going to keep me interested but I was wrong. I really enjoyed it and wanted to see what was next after an episode ended so that says a lot for me. Give it a go you may be pleasantly surprised. I know now why I take no notice of reviews in general not just in relation to TV series etc everyones perspective is their own.
I really liked this show, hope we will see more seasons. A great sci-fi thriller
STARTED STRONG, ended shit, no season 2. do t bother watching
So far I liked it, I have not read the books, but the adaptation is ok in my opinion, but once again I have not read the books, nor have I seen the Chinese adaptation. Im also worried about the ending of this series, the writers who adapted this story are the same people who messed up Game of Thrones. So although I like the first season, Ill wait until the series is finished, just because of the folks working on this, they are not known to finish strong.
This series is a rip off of Three-body.
Not my show... Boring characters, to save the world is only possible with exploding nuclear bombs. . . that was the point, where I stopped watching. Zero fantasy story , just putted together using or better reusing ideas of others.
I lost interest to be honest.
I haven't read the book series but this show was kind of boring and underwhelming. There were good parts illustrating the existential dread but from what I've read the Chinese show did a better job of that.
I found none of the characters likable or relatable in any way and I especially found Dr. Salazar as annoying and overly emotional and irrational. It's like the shows are turning into soap operas. I read that they also did some gender swapping to make it politically correct.
Anyway, after I finished watching and saw the show status as 'Ended' which probably means they aren't even renewing it. Save yourself some time and don't bother. Better yet just read or listen to the books, they are probably better and don't leave you hanging.
I haven't read the book but this show was kind of boring and underwhelming. There were good parts illustrating the existential dread but from what I've read the Chinese show did a better job of that. Anyway, after I finished watching and saw the status as 'Ended' which probably means they aren't even renewing the show. Save yourself some time and don't bother. Better yet just read or listen to the books, they are probably better and don't leave you hanging.
This kinda feels like Monarch
My bias here is that I've watched the Chinese TV show adaptation before this one, and I found it insightful yet extremely boring in execution, although I powered through to the end. This adaptation though, I'm at loss for words... maybe inexcusably bad, inexplicably mediocre, and a worst execution than I could ever imagine. The Chinese adaptation, for all its flaws, exceeds in everything 10x over this garbage. D&B were really a one time wonder; they got heir plate handed to them with GoT. If anything this adaptation shows that they're actually overrated.
First halves were good. Second halves just didn't make sense.
I know they made a lot of changes to the book but honestly I think they made it work. Yeah, it's different but it's also amazing. I just wish Netflix wouldn't be so hardstuck on every show being 8 episodes. Give em more time to let the characters and story breathe.
Chinese version was excellent. Most enjoyable seriesv i've watched in a while. Deeply Moving
Even considering it's a science fiction, it's still a bitwork naïve to think humans would give 2 f's about some aliens less than 4 light-years that will arrive in 400 years!!!! We're living an existential crisis, in an ongoing mass extinction and in less than half that time we'll be in deep trouble if we don't start making significant changes to how we impact the planet....and we can't even agree that this is a fact and we're are already in a downwards' path
A very intriguing and interesting and creative series .
Some disappointments, and the Saul's selection baffles me, but there must be a reason. Looking forward to season 2. Hope I don't have to wait 400 years for answers. :flushed::thumbsup_tone1: Well worth a watch. :thumbsup_tone1:
Always when I watch a show like this, I do hope that real scientists are smarter. But the older I get, I no longer belive that.
Overall, the underlying story is interesting, the show just is about everything, except that. There are a few good moments, but a lot of pointless ones. The moment where one adult had to explain to another adult that 43 + 8 is 51 killed all hope for this show for me
So this show had been on my radar for a very long time, so it was highly antipiated for myself personally. Unfortuatly while it had it moments, so much of what it did has recently been done elsewhere better, at least in my opinion.
The mysterious futuristic videogame element was done better in Peripheral, the invasion concept was done better in Invasion, the high concept scientific take was done better in Foundation, the general current day scientific stuff was done better in For All Mankind. Add those elements with the fact I really didn't feel much chemistry between the friends/romantic relationships and the CGI that was touted as a high point I thought looked quite bad compared to other sci-fi series.
I've not read the books (I own the first but held off on reading it until I watched the show) so maybe some of the issues I have with the writing are from the book itself, I'll find out later.
Overall I really did want to love this show, but it just didn't quite deliver on the scope, scale and impact I was hoping for. That said, maybe that was from some of my own antipiation levels so if you are just checking it out maybe you might enjoy it more than me.
Review by buddhalouVIP 3BlockedParent2024-03-22T01:39:04Z— updated 2024-03-23T04:14:12Z
Definitely a big departure from the books. Not horrible for it though; it's been an enjoyable watch, for the most part. It falls off a bit the last few episodes. I think people who haven't read the books will have an easier time enjoying it maybe than people who have and can't get over the fact that adaptations are a thing and changes are made. Doesn't make them bad, necessarily. Also, how about of all those beautiful, naked, rehydrated Trisolarians (or San Tinos, I guess?) in episode 2. Didn't get that image from the novel, I'll tell you what :tongue: As for any comparisons with the Chinese series, it was definitely truer to the source material and I'm usually the guy saying, "They should have made a limited series out of (insert novel here), this movie didn't do it justice at all." But damn, the Chinese series was so unnecessarily long and drawn out. It really could have used some trimming in the adaptation and editing phases; pacing was dreadful. This series may be a big departure from the novels, but it was done with the author's blessing as he understood the need to make it appeal to a wider, international audience and more accessible than the source material may have been for some people.