I was as excited about a new series from the Game of Thrones makers as I was about brushing my teeth this morning. It just has to be. And then 3 Body Problem is also the film adaptation of an award-winning sci-fi ham whose exuberant introduction has already failed me twice.
I didn’t believe David Benioff and DB Weiss had a second success and always blamed the Game of Thrones hype on the scandalous book. But I also know when to admit mistakes. Because with the sinfully expensive Netflix epic 3 Body Problem they are repeating a very specific masterpiece.
Who would have thought: 3 Body Problem on Netflix reveals the real strength of the Game of Thrones makers
I first celebrated Game of Thrones and later laughed at it. At some point the immense hype got on my nerves. But I was also bothered by the sexual violence, the depiction of which was unnecessarily provocative and unreflective. With the comparatively quickly told final season, which I found quite entertaining, Game of Thrones fell out of favor with many fans. Exactly these fans, like me, will tune in to 3 Body Problem like a hawk.
With 3 Body Problem, the two have once again chosen a literary source that is considered difficult to film. When you’ve made one of the most influential and successful series of all time, everyone’s eyes are on your next project. But that didn’t stop Benioff and Weiss from taking on another mammoth task – this time together with series creator Alexander Woo (The Terror). Instead of being a huge fantasy scheming game with scandalous sex and CGI dragons, 3 Body Problem is a huge sci-fi scheming game with scientific theories that require half a physics degree and groovy VR doomsdays.
Netflix
One of many cool VR doomsdays in 3 Body Problem
Game of Thrones could have been a one-hit wonder where the stars just aligned. But 3 Body Problem shows what Benioff and Weiss can actually do: once again They create an entertaining and emotionally accessible story from an immensely complex and expansive book. The characters could remain pale chess pieces against the background. Instead, they carry us with ease into the confusing plot, like the Stark children Robb, Arya, Jon, Bran and Sansa once did.
I take my hat off: 3 Body Problem is the next evolution of Benioff and Weiss
Once you start seeing the parallels between 3 Body Problem and Game of Thrones, you can’t stop. In 3 Body Problem, a distant but unstoppable force threatens to overtake the earth. This hangs over the entire story and is very reminiscent of the White Walkers in Game of Thrones. They are getting closer and closer, but are not a real danger for a long time.
Like Game of Thrones, 3 Body Problems focuses on an initially narrower and gradually expanding field of characters and parties. The focus is on the astrophysicist Ye Wenjie with a plot set in the 1960s in China and one in London in 2024, which gives me a strong Daenerys Targaryen vibe with her balance of toughness and vulnerability. In contemporary London we also meet Intelligence Officer Clarence, who is investigating a series of mysterious murders of scientists and brings the necessary tragicomic character of Tyrion Lannister.
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The Oxford Five meet in a bar after a funeral
But they are the heart of the matter Oxford Five – the Stark children of 3 Body Problem, if you will. They are a family clique of London scientists in their 30s whose former professor recently committed suicide. They have no idea what great tasks lie ahead of them in the fight against the extraterrestrial power. We get to know them in a friendly, joking manner in a bar before they are scattered to the four winds with world-changing fates. Just for spoiler reasons, I plan to assign the Stark fates to the three individual Body Problem characters, which works fantastically.
3 body problem is but not a simple copy of the Thrones recipe for success. There are a few breasts, penises and mass deaths, but scandalous sex is completely missing. There is also hardly any wine drunk and physical theories also find their place in the midst of the dozen character storylines in order to provide the necessary, sophisticated support for the impending end of the world.
There will also be criticism of 3 Body Problem – but not from me
In 3 Body Problem, Benioff and Weiss condense the original much more than in Thrones and, for example, bring a main character from the last book right to the beginning. This extremely accelerated narrative style and also the simplification of scientific theories, which take up a lot of space in the book, will be bitter for some fans of the original. As a sophisticated mainstream series, 3 Body Problem works wonderfully and that’s more than I dreamed of.
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Game of Thrones star John Bradley plays Jack Rooney in 3 Body Problem
After Game of Thrones, like many others, I wanted nothing more to do with Benioff and Weiss. But Netflix was right to entrust them with one of the biggest series projects ever and were rewarded with a fantastic first season. I have to apologize to Benioff and Weiss for attributing the Game of Thrones success to the book and not to them.
3 Body Problem shows how much they can actually do as storytellers. They continue on the immense scale of the Game of Thrones finale, but reflect on the narrative strengths of the first seasons of the fantasy series. This is a feat. I’ve already watched all the episodes of 3 Body Problem on Netflix twice and I never do that with new series.