Is ‘The Three-Body Problem’ on Netflix worth a watch?

I’d always meant to read The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. It has been much lauded, after all, and I like that about a book. But I had also heard it was a slightly difficult read, which had delayed my giving it a go as I was in the middle of a load of different series.

I still may read it, but for now, the TV show is on Netflix. (I have a degree in literature, so I hate that I wrote that.)

What is the Three-Body Problem about?

It is one of my favourite topics – alien invasion! Some aliens on a planet that is doomed, pick up a radio signal from Earth and, thinking it sounds nice, decide to invade us. As you do.

Their planet is pretty bollocksed due to being caught in the orbit between three stars. Unfortunately, this messes the place up and has consequently affected their development. And, ultimately, dooms them. The Three-Body problem also causes headaches for astronomers and mathematicians as it is really complicated. ChatGPT-5 or 6 levels of hard.

The story follows five attractive friends who are all brilliant at science and were mates at Oxford. In the book, apparently, a couple of them were just one talented fellow, but this provides a way to make it more international. They can also chat about stuff. They are brought together again by a couple of things. The first is that supercolliders and science generally are all behaving weirdly. Like Science is broken. The second is that scientists around the world are killing themselves. Include a teacher of the five friends.

There is also a weird, cult-like group that are almost like religious nutters. They are up to something. Then there’s a top-secret spy agency from the UK that isn’t MI5 or MI6. They are trying to find out generally what the balls is going on with the scientists and all the general oddness.

Oh, and there is a Chinese scientist who kicked the whole thing off and is now doing science-related things.

I think that is all you need to know about the plot. This information is available everywhere, so it won’t give much away.

So is it any good?

I loved The Three-Body Problem. It isn’t flawless, but it is definitely worth watching, and I can’t wait for the next series.

The cast was especially good.

The friends were all likeable, although the two women were so attractive that I was distracted at times. Eiza González and Jess Hong are both great actors, though, so my personal issues didn’t detract from the story. The interaction between the friends was convincing and believable.

The mysterious Intelligence Agency consists mostly of an investigator called Clarence Shi, played by Benedict Wong (brilliant as ever), and his boss Thomas Wade, played by Liam Cunningham (also as brilliant as ever). Both are a joy to watch and are clearly just really good at their jobs. There are apparently other people working at the agency, but are either crap at their jobs or specialise in non-alien invasion stuff.

There is also Jonathan Pryce and Rosalind Chao doing mysterious stuff as part of the cult thing. Despite my still thinking of her as Keiko from DS9, her character has a particularly interesting story arc.

Some say the plot is a bit confusing

I have read that some people were confused about the story. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because I am self-evidently a sci-fi fan, or I read a lot of science, but it was pretty easy to follow. The Three-Body Problem itself might be just beyond my intellect, but otherwise, it was pretty clear.

It was also pretty cool, with some great ideas explored—both science and science fiction. For some reason, I really like stories that deal with the realities of time, especially the disparities and issues when it comes to traveling and communicating in space. This, along with ideas surrounding species development and the benefits of living in stable environments, and so on, were done well.

The principal theme, at least as far as I could tell, is something of a metaphor for climate change. This might put some people off if they are climate change deniers, but then tough shit. Climate change deniers are idiots, and if you are one, I pity you. Also, piss off.

The threat posed in The Three-Body Problem is a while off. Although there is clear evidence that the problem is imminent, people who aren’t immediately affected are reluctant to do something as it requires effort and money. Sound familiar? Humanity sucks. Happily, there are some smart people around who both care and are capable. The metaphor is a bit obvious, but it is well done. We are smart enough to possibly deal with these problems but just need the will to overcome self-interest and lethargy.

Final thoughts on the Three-Body Problem and what I wasn’t so keen on

Let me preface this – I loved the show, and I suspect I would love the first book it is based on. The Three-Body Problem is a superb exploration of a ton of ideas with a great cast and likeable characters.

POTENTIAL MILD SPOILER THAT HAS APPEARED IN OTHER REVIEWS – BUT UP TO YOU.

My only real issue is that it is hard to root for any particular character. I might be being premature, maybe this is all dealt with in future books, but the threat is kind of distant – the aliens are 400 years away. So it is difficult to get all that invested in characters that may or may not have some kind of impact at some point.

Granted, there is a threat caused by the fact that the aliens can communicate live with some humans and can send them a bit nuts with a visual countdown. They can also watch our every move. And also, some humans are crazy psychopaths – but that is hardly news. The main thrust of the plot by the end is that we have the potential to develop faster than Johnny Alien and might be able to beat them when they arrive with photon missiles or whatever. The aliens will arrive around the same time as Star Trek, after all.

VERY MILD SPOILER OVER

The Three-Body Body Problem is great. I highly recommend it. It’s very well made and good science fiction. You should probably read the book first, but if you’re a lazy bastard like me, the show is well worth it.