Netflix 3 Body Problem - Well Here We Go [CC] 

My question is how did they blow $20mil per episode when it's just people talking in a room?

"Friends" with the backdrop of "we're all doomed.'" Hilariously accurate.

I really disliked the personal drama, it would have been okay to be in the background but trying to put it front and center was a major mistake. The events of the book really should be in the forefront. Also Ye Wenjie got run over by Netflix. It's complicated to explain but the US can't make complicated women that have a negative side in the current climate.

I gave up on Netflix's _3 Body Problem_ after the first episode for many reasons (characters don't feel like scientists, complete disregard for the Chinese heart of the books, etc.), but mainly for what they did to Ye Wenjie. She was my favorite character from the books, and what the showrunners did to her was unforgivable. I've watched three episodes of the Tencent version, and it's working for me because I felt it was truer to the people and plot.

All your points is why I don't watch American television anymore

Well said! Most people think the Netflix version is good purely because the sci-fi concepts from the original work are inherently excellent, not because of the screenwriters' skills. Strip away those sci-fi ideas, and the show is nothing.

Do i feel insulted? I mean, i guess, but at this point my expectations are so low for any Western depictions of Asia/Asian media that it rolled right over me. It’s far more rare for any Western media to actually respect its audience’s intelligence.

To answer your question at the end of the video: As a westerner, who has read the novels and seen the Tencent version, I personally think we have been insulted. I would have to agree with your analysis of the characters. The writing is atrocious and the characters are shallow and self absorbed and for the most part unrelateable. Overall with few exceptions feels adolescent and cheap. The depth of the the story is almost completely lost. I enjoyed your analysis and feel it was on point. You also managed to point out some redeeming characteristics I overlooked in my annoyance with Netflix version.

there is a scene in the chinese version, when the lady is younger, and they are in some 'youth camp' thing. their assigned task seems to be using powered saws and casually cut down huge, aged trees mercilessly. that scene is so loaded, leaves an impression,....conveys the pain of the dystopian existence. It is not true that the chinese/tencent version does not show the background of the cultural revolution. that scene in the forest is haunting. no words or explicit statements are needed.

This is one of the most brutal roasts I’ve ever heard lol. Thank you for your honest opinions.

The struggle session scene was not badly done, but other than that I thought that the Tencent version did a much better job in presented the horror of labour camps and "reformation". Wenjie really suffers in silence in the Chinese show - a brilliant scientist who is treated almost like a slave and almost led to her death. We don't feel even 10% of Wenjie's desolation, despair and physical suffering in the Netflix version - in the Chinese version, one can even feel the bone-piercing cold just by looking at the actress. Maybe the director for Tencent was better, or maybe the actress is simply superior. Same goes for old Wenjie: she's a calm, noble lady who hides a will of steel and the resolution to go forward with it.

Ye Wenji husband did not disappear in this Netflix version, it is worse, her husband got turned into an asshole who stole her idea to get credit for the sun amplifier plan

The most interesting part of this analysis is your discussion of how small the scope of the story has become compared to the grandiose dreams of the 60s.

watching this is SOOO cathartic thank you :DD

I added both versions to my list, but was waiting for your review to decide which to watch. Really appreciate this!

I didnt get past ep1. The dialog felt like a teenage high school drama. The tencent 30ep version was good enough i didnt want to poison my ideas with this seriea.

your contents just hit a next level with this video!! Good job!

And they missed the Shooter and Farmer hypothesis. That was mind-blowing. It makes you question the human existence. The chinese version explained it so well.

I was waiting for this, because I know you will give an objective review

I find somewhat ironic that a common criticism to the books is that characters there don't have that much introspection or depth and only exist to move the plot forward... And then a show like this comes and kinda proves the book right by wasting precious screen time on the little daily dramas of the obnoxious "Oxford 5". Not really a great fit for a series that should be about the "big ideas" and a vast time scale.

13:00 - with regards to the societal & individual indifference to grandiose global events (e.g. impending Trisolaran invasion & inevitable human genocide 400 years from now), I would argue that this is one of the few areas in which the Netflix adaptation portrays the human reactions MORE accurately than the Tencent version. If one looks at the reaction to COVID & to long-term global crises such as climate change, indifference is precisely the type of reaction we see, particularly in rich western societies who aren't immediately impacted (or perceive themselves to be less impacted) by these types of global crises. In fact, if we benchmark the severity of the "Trisolaran crisis" relative to other real life crises (again, climate change comes to mind), it is arguably LESS urgent. After all, it's only a few top theoretical scientists who are directly impacted in the near-term. Human scientific progress is stymied, but that's not something the average citizen can noticeably comprehend. Moreover, the threat of invasion & genocide is 400 years away - WAY TOO FAR away for the average human attention span, especially considering the attitude of indifference people have to real life climate crises will severely impact human life FAR sooner than the Trisolaran invasion (~20-50 years). In any case, while the Netflix adaptation is a clearly inferior telling of the Three Body Problem compared to its Tencent counterpart, in this particular regard, it more accurately reflects the human condition. Moreover, I would also argue that since this is a western adaptation, the attitude of indifference toward the prospect of long-term human extinction is an accurate reflection of the likely reaction in western society, which is more individualistic & short term-focused relative to eastern societies.

Ha e a great day AvenueX! Stunning as always!

In Tencent version they managed to make you care about every single character in the story. Everyone has a motivation that sometimes is conflictive eventhough they are going in the same direction yet they see the world with different perspectives, enough to make them enemies instead of allies. And I love that scientists in this series talk like scientists and see the world in scientific terms.. they are super nerds, obsessive with a compulsive behaviour and through the cop you see how they are also human beings with problems, complex lives so even the simpler character is esential to the story, like the series is telling you, everybody matters and plays a rol into the world. I love it and hope they get the Dark Forest by 2025 or 2026. Fingers crossed.

Oh, and there is 26 eps version on Tencent. It's directors cut version

White American here. Absolutely loved the books. Finished all three in quick succession. The Netflix adaptation definitely feels disrespectful to the source material though. There are small glimmers of a great show but man is it so watered down and rushed. I also could not stand the focus on the petty, unimportant character drama. But to be honest I never had high hopes after the GoT dumb and dumber duo were announced to be attached. It’s very quickly becoming a hate watch for me. Also just to see how they tackle the big sci-fi set pieces. Although, like you mentioned, the CGi is so hit or miss so I’m not holding my breath. The books will likely always be the best way to experience this story.

Cannot agree more..dunno why so many positive review..too much of them put emphasis on the cultural revolution senses..but ye weijin story line not just about that sense..she have much more depth on that..and I very much agree with your opinion on her and when I noted her daughter father is actually Evans..I was like wtf..man come on…and no conflict between her and Evans totally unacceptable..cannot reflect the complexity of human being.. through and thinking will actually changed over time..

Yooo! You can criticize the series all you like, but don't come at Ramin Djawadi like that 😭. He did good with the theme. I actually like how it starts small with low piano notes, almost like sending a signal, then gradually gets louder. I feel like it managed to capture the sense of urgency and the intense feeling like something bad is about to happen. But there is also a tone of sadness to it. Not all theme songs have be big and grandiose like Game of Thrones to be impactful. And clearly the many people who want Netflix to bring back the uncut version to the opening credits feel the same. The theme also reminds to the one from Fringe, a great sci-fi series from 15 years ago. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Ok. I'll shut up now! 😂

I liked the show, but one particular issue with the decision to transpose the story to the West sticks out to me. In the book, we get a contrast between the brutal, anti-scientific cultural revolution scenes and the gentler, pro-scientific, modern China. In the Netflix show, we instead get a contrast between a savage, ignorant, old China with an enlightened, new, modern West. As far as the viewer is made aware, China may well be still just as cruel and ignorant as the 60s because it lacks the book's modern Chinese setting to suggest otherwise. The Netflix show (accidentally?) creates this new subtext of the superior West versus the primitive Chinese. That betrays both the story of the books, and also the author's own context given he is writing this reflective and frank story within modern China. A lot of people coming fresh to this show assume that the Cultural Revolutionary scenes weren't in the books, and are then are surprised to learn that (contrary to their expectations) the Chinese allowed the book to contain such depictions, not censoring a plot element that paints Chinese history in a negative light. They assume that the negative Chinese portrayals are themselves an invention by Western Netflix, again depriving credit to the author and reinforcing another anti-Chinese stereotype to boot.

Quite a spot on review. To be honest, Netflix’s 3 Body is not a bad drama but it gives a sense that the producers don’t really get what the books are about. The changing of the main setting from China to UK, though friendlier to viewers in the west, resulted in the Netflix’s version losing the “soul” of the original story. The needs to be politically correct also affected the characters of the story and the relationship between the characters in the drama. The focus on “personal relationship” is a direct result of the changes made in characterization and location of the core events. The comment on Ye Wenjie is spot on. The Tencent’s version did an excellent job in fleshing out the character and both actresses who played the younger and older roles of the character did a very good job in bringing the complexities of the character to life. The Netflix version’s interpretation of the role is too shallow and stereotypical. The comment about the music is spot on. The Tencent’s version though limited by budget, have a more grandiose feel in scope than the Netflix version, all due to the quality of the score and musics and songs used in the drama.

News portals in my country rave about the series. People who haven't read the book cannot tell that the series is lacking. People who don't know much about Chinese culture beyond the Chinese takeaway shop at the corner don't understand the nuances and I think these are the type of viewers Netflix made this series for.

i 100% agree with your criticisms. appreciated this review cause all i'd seen were nothing but glowing reviews despite all the glaring flaws. tencent's version has its own issues but i enjoyed that way more as a sci-fi series.

Thanks AvenueX for your review! I havent read the books but watched the Tencent version as it was airing last year (loved it) and I recently finished the Netflix version (which was extremely forgettable in my opinion). I'm not Chinese but I definitely felt the usual anti-China view that the West has about China in the Netflix version. Ye Wenjie leaves China and lives in the UK, Jin Cheng also does the same (to live in New Zealand), Da Shi says he's from Manchester. It's like no one wants to say they're Chinese unless it comes to talking about the brutality of the Cultural Revolution. Hence, none of the Chinese characters are good people. I've seen many reviews say that Ye Wenjie's story was fleshed out better in the Netflix version compared to the Tencent version and I'm like "how"? I'm sure those reviewers believe that showing that opening scene where her father was killed is the most important thing and that all other nuanced parts of her life are less relevant. I actually loved how the Tencent version showed her life at the Red Coast Base and at the village after she gave birth to Yang Dong. Other than that, I didn't find myself intellectually engaged while watching the Netflix version, but the Tencent version did blow my mind with all those concepts. I would suggest the Netflix version to people who want to see an interesting enough show where they don't need to think TOO much. I'd suggest the Tencent version to those who want to be intellectually challenged. I wish to read the books at some point too, which I'm sure is going to be brilliant.

I have just finished reading the third book in the trilogy and I'm now ready to read reviews of the books and the NetFlix series. I have also seen the 30 episode Tencent version on You Tube. I liked your review and agreed with pretty much all of it. The character of Ye Winjie is done so much better in the Chinese drama. She is always a sympathetic character, even when she makes a rash decision with far reaching consequences. Even without the opening struggle session scene we understand what she's been through. I liked the way that the character of Da Shi was done in the Chinese drama. He is a little like a Chinese Lieutenant Columbo, always being underestimated until the end when we see that he was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. I liked the way the computer game element was done in the Chinese version. The VR gear looked like something we could buy in a few years, and the participants in the game did have to buy it. The game was created by humans, not TriSolarans. No magic alien technology, which the Trisolarans would never give us. I liked how all the science was explained. I liked how the universe blinking was only background radiation, which you'd need to be a scientist with special equipment to see. I like that it was visible to orbiting satellites, unlike the flicker of the night sky which everyone on Earth could see and satellites could not. The Chinese version assumes that we are intelligent enough to care about these things.

The bad: 1. Acting is mediocre, especially Auggie. She is there for eye candy only. She did not capture the full psychological torture of the countdown and the moral crisis of judgment day destruction. Both are very big themes in the whole story. 2. They made Ye Wenjie character one dimensional. I wouldn’t mind having more episodes if they can explore the character more. 3. They butchered a lot of concepts, like the hunter-farmer analogy and the different factions within ETO. They reduced the whole thing to a cult and did not explain why a lot of very smart people would be a part of this organization. The tencent version still falls short on this but at least it attempts to tackle this on. 4. The attempt to humanize the main characters are still quite shallow. 5. Da Shi was a major role in the story and “cracking the case” but the Netflix version reduced him to a comedic role. The good: 1. Showing the cultural revolution. This was a huge part of YWJ’s life story that was butchered in the Tencent’s version. 2. Will’s character is very well acted and portrayed. I have so much more appreciation for his tragic life and sacrifice. 3. Cast diversity attempts to make it a global crisis, although I wish they would have them from different countries instead of all in the UK. Makes the world crisis a lot smaller. There’s really no reason for them all to be friends. You can connect them through a common crisis, which is a big theme in the book. Overall, the best adaptation is somewhere between Tencent, Netflix, and line-by-line reenactment of the book. Somewhere around 15 episodes.😅

So I just finished episode 19 of Tencent and my retrospective annoyance with the US version reached the point where I sought out a comparison for some sort of catharsis. The review really hit the spot, several spots. Broader analysis of why, was interesting too, and troubling. I look forward to watching your review when I've finished the og series.

Thank you for being there in the past 7 yrs.

I started watching the Netflix show when it showed up and couldn’t get past the first episode again, as an Indian i never liked western interpretation of anything foreign to them. Then I went and watched the Tencent version and I was hooked. Oh my God i have to read the books now, such a masterpiece

I enjoyed it 😅 I couldn’t finish the tencent one… it felt unnecessary long/slow in some episodes. Although the Netflix one is too compressed (hope this will be better in the next season) I had fun watching

American here. Even so, I think your review is excellent. Actually I think Netflix is missing too much Chinese culture…and the authors metaphors regarding how small humans are…..like the ants.

The Chinese version series is the best adaptation.

I binged the whole show today and loved it. And I'm even more excited to dive into the books now! If nothing else the show is s great introduction to this series. Just downloaded the book, it'll be a long night for me hehe

I couldn’t wait to hear this.

Ohhhh have so been waiting for this "reduced to a mild itch" epic

I enjoyed it, but even without having read the novels I could tell it had been incredibly watered down for a Western audience and it kind of felt at times like I wanted to yell at the screen for them to get back to the plot rather than waffling on about who wanted to sleep with who. Very much agreed on the music, I have no idea what they were thinking, it's just so utterly forgettable. Also, I can suspend my disbelief and enjoy the ideas of alien races, multiple dimensions and super advanced technology, but being able to see that many stars from Oxford is just pushing it too far, haha.

Excellent review. I have not read the books. The Netflix version was watched 1st. I then found the Chinese production on RU-vid. I watched it with English subtitles so I could hear the real actors voice. I found the Chinese version so much better than the Netflix version. You're review hit upon all the things I did not like. I will say I didn't care for the musical songs in the Chinese version.

i liked the chinese version 3 body problem. The netflix version is just surfacely done. the western series in brief is basically, "who slept with whom?'. They forgot the core.

Thank you, AvenueX, for such a thorough and insightful review! It's really great to see your perspective on an American adaptation of a Chinese IP, which is something you don't see very often.

This is the last bastion of sense on the internet, I don't get how people are saying this is better than the Tencent show lmao Also, I laughed at your scoff in the very first sentence of the intro 🤣

This show really made me want to read the books. I'm glad you say the detective is very similar to the book character, I enjoyed his portrayal very much!

I liked the TenCent version so much better. Felt like NetFlix was sprinting through the original story, while also throwing in their own ideas that don't fit into 3 Body. Never really cared about the characters, and the Judgement Day Scene looked comical to me.

Yep, what they did to Ye Wenjie's character was an unnecessary sacrilege. I was utterly disgusted. And giving Ye's daughter a different father? Why? What good does it do for the show? Is is disrespectful to the original novel? Of course it is

I haven't watched it yet, thanks for thanks for the heads up.

Randomly stumbled upon your video today about The Three-body Problem TV series. Amazing explanations about the problems within this anticipated Sci-fi show. Thumbs Up and Subscribed！ 听了你的讲解后我觉得Netflix版也不用看了，还是看看书得了。这么好的书拍出来确实是不可能的事。

Well said, thanks! I haven't finished the Netflix series yet, and not sure if I will. If I wasn't already a subscriber, I probably wouldn't have signed up just to see this. My time on Netflix would be better spent rewatching 'The Untamed'.

As someone who haven’t read the book or watched the tencent version yet, I enjoyed it a lot. I binged it in one day. At least it’s better than most of Netflix’s produced series. I do agree about the lack of sci-fi part.

I absolutely loved both versions. I had never read the books, so this was an awesome introduction. From there I had to check out the Chinese version, which is better to geek out to. And then got into the books, which are nuts! I loved them all!

Saludos desde 🇻🇪 hace unos meses que veo sus videos, usted analiza muy bien los dramas, desde todos los puntos de vista

A Chinese woman must burn incense is such a glaring revelation of the lack of understanding not just the character of Ye Wenjie but also belittling the entire Chinese culture.

Thank you for reviewing this, I don't watch a whole lot of American tv anymore. And now I'm really curious about the Chinese version instead.

I subscribe to Netflix an i felt the wonderful books were dumbed down. The lead character was made into a "cut out" and a lot of the best parts are gone, the depths of the books, the philosophical thoughts are absent. Yes the description of "Friends" as high level physicists who only care about sex lives etc was marvelous. It was a sad adaptation.

Masterful review! I'm now watching the first two reviews and have shared the whole package to Facebook, so Thank you ! PS. The picture for this video is so cool; triple glasses.

as someone who has never read the books and is not chinese ty so much for this! i loved the concepts of the show but just couldnt understand why i didnt like it beyond the 2d characters so this was a great watch, rlly considering checking out the books.

Yu Hewei might not have looked as the book described Shi but he definitely made Shi come alive. I thought Benedict didn’t stand out as much. Shi had such a presence in the tencent version. Fav character from that version.

love the suggested adaptation idea

希望TX暗黑森林有更多资金之后加油吧，其实NF版有很多可取之处，不要太执着于忠实原著式的流水账+注水，适当改编得更像个独立的电视作品，观赏性强也值得重复观看，现在TX即使缩到26集也真的是水，价值主要体现在把名场面剪成短视频值得反复欣赏，坐着再看一遍真的一点乐趣没有。 另外TX还要改的是这帮外国演员，黑暗森林有更高的外国人比例，现在这些“将军”跟林永健坐在一起就是一帮保安开会，这种外国路人自己拍个学生作品没问题，但是跟一帮本地老戏骨在一起就出大问题了，这次网飞找到国内班底拍中国的戏份是很加分的，起码没有以前随便找的华裔说broken中文那种出戏感，修改1的一些低级错误后，黑暗森林2资金要能+5-10倍就稳了。 netflix的改编国内很多人不喜欢，但这种降低观看门槛，叙事流畅真的值得肯定， 但从格局来说真的把原著的10分降到5-6分左右，所有名场面都像过家家，以这种成本来说太不应该。 改编虽然是可以接受的，但是有些“改”是彻底扭曲了作者原意，他们嘲讽TX阉割文革，但没发现伊文斯在西方的经历全删光了，物种共产主义全删光了。现在就是一对男女邪教头子，收到的创伤主要来自老共的政治迫害和环境破坏。如此以来他们召唤外星人的动机就不足了，有仇报仇有怨报怨你找老共去啊，拉着全人类垫背干嘛，重点是伊文斯自己的童年创伤，造成他走上了更极端道路带领的降临派，而不仅仅是叶文洁的“蛊惑”，如果说TX砍了文革的手指头，网飞直接把资本主义批判的头给砍了 另外潘韩和伊文斯的背景有相似之处，极端环保恐怖主义是不敢碰的话题 往极端点揣测编剧，就是以“改编”的名义做掩护，其实背后删减的逻辑包括60%的荧幕改编+40%的sensorship 除此之外，整体改编虽然降低了格局像过家家，但叙事是流畅自洽的，虽然你可以不喜欢ZZZQ不喜欢dumb down，但给没看过书的观众看个乐呵完全够了，为了看名场面说不定重复观看的负担也不大，但特效真像被贪了🤣

I am torn between finishing the show and letting it drop. As someone who watches a lot of TV, I can see how the Netflix show fits within standard US tropes and in that universe, it does okay, but clearly the concepts in the book are a bit too high brow and the show doesn't have enough time to breath. When the trailers for the show came out, I commented in one that, this being an US show, it would probably make it so everything Chinese was antagonistic, or the bad guys, and thus use a Chinese IP to make the Chinese the bad guys, and sadly, it seems very clearly that is what the show does.

Ten Cent version is way better. The Netflix version is too rushed and lacks as much detail as the Ten Cent version. I like a Sci-Fi taking its time to explain the story.

Yessss! Finally! In reddit everyone was praising this thing to the moon and a lot of them were saying how boring the chinese version is and that the netflix one is better... I almost had a stroke reading those comments 😂 I was very dissapointed not surprised tho. This level of trashy adapt. was expected from netflix...

I hope you post war of faith review next week because i can't wait to have a comment section discussing the drama before it ends....i think this is the first time in a while for me to be crazy about a drama...and i think the chemistry between yibo and wang yang also yibo and li qin is crazy even tho it's not a romance drama i like the acting too i I've never seen yibo act this good i think his eyes changed and i don't see the usual yibo face he has while acting....good for him tbh

I waited until the Netflix version to watch the Tencent version to compare them. I watched Netflix first and couldn't get over how c*ap it was. Seriously. Pointless. The characters hopelessly unbearably boring. I don't care about them or their problems. No atmosphere, no mystery. I don't have a single good word to say about this production. I immediately watched the Tencent version and was shocked. Intriguing from the first episode, brilliantly done atmosphere of mystery, graduated tension, characters I care about and I shed more than one tear. Excellent drama. Despite the name of my account, I am not Asian. I am Asia, a diminutive of my name. I am a white woman living in Europe. A scientist. The Netflix version made me disgusted, the Tencent version made me delighted. As a scientist, as a white woman and simply as a human being, I can empathize more with the problems and world of the version made by Tencent. This whole box ticking thing is absurd. What matters is good production quality, not superficial representation. And adding a gay man to a story just to be there is an insult to gay men.

I love your reviews, your opinions are so relatable to what I’m thinking. I prefer the Chinese production myself, I’ve read the book as well.

Best/most accurate review I've seen.

I agree. I think that Netflix changed the major fundamentals of the books. I didn't have time to mind that they changed genders, split characters, talk about love, whatever, because I was annoyed at bigger things. Netflix Ye Wenjie was so flat but the book and Tencent version struggled so much with life and decisions. The first scene was a shock but didn't add enough to her struggles. Netflix changed the way the scientists died which is then a plot hole (why doesn't the sophon just kill everyone?). The Turkeys were a major part of explaining the basis of the science and that was left out. And I just got so annoyed at the flickering being visible to the naked eye. It's not science. This scifi book was so close to realism that it makes other scifi feel like fantasy. I have started to recommend that people watch the Netflix first scene and then immediately switch to Tencent. I found Tencent to be funny too. Hopefully the Netflix version is an okay introduction into Chinese entertainment, but actually scifi fans should watch Tencent.

I got to episode 5 before I was overwhelmed by the "wtf" having just got over shaking off the concept of "science is broken so let's shut it down" from earlier. As I wasn't familiar with the source material it was great to hear that this Netflix adaptation is so far off point from what this series should be. What made me finally give up was the acceptance the series gave to the British intelligence unilaterally launching a military operation against a foreign civilian target from the soil of another sovereign nation, murdering all those onboard without trial and likely shutting down the Panama canal for several months. Then search through what would essentially be a collapsed building looking for something they assume to exist because facts. Wtf. Great review - thank you!

All the bad writing and script choices can easily be explained by the guys in charge saying they changed things to make it more 'global' (i.e. more American) instead of staying faithful to the soul of the story. Which is why it's as flavorless, artificial, shallow, and apathetic as everything else here in the US is.

The cultural revolution scenes were very accurate to the American version of the book. However I understand the Chinese version of the book is different. Interesting fact, in the English version of the three-body problem the cultural revolution scenes are at the very beginning of the book. I understand that's not the case in the Chinese version, however the translator worked very closely with the author so I can't say that it's wrong. And of course all the nuances of the events are going to be totally lost on Western audiences. So it really was accurate enough to what the book portrayed.

I agree with your review. 👍👍👍👍👍 I watched both series and from my point of view it's as if the components of one series complement the other series, but I'll stick with the Chinese story a thousand times. Although the Netflix one has good special effects, the sequential order of the story is messy, and I didn't like certain characters at all: 1. I keep wondering: What is the role in the series of the character "Auggie Salazar", homologating the character "Wang Miao"? She looks like a filler character rather than a lead role! 2. I didn't see in the Chinese series that the character "Ye Wen Jie" had love affairs with the character "Mike Evans", so I was confused because she had a husband and her daughter was the result of that marriage, and not of a relationship with Evans. 3. Where was the story of Ye Wen Jie's husband's death? 4. In the Netflix series, they focused more on the love relationships of all the characters than on the story about how the Trisolarians decided to invade our planet because their species was going to die. 5. Finally, and to summarize, the scene where children die on the boat by the nanofibers was horrible! That was not necessary, in the Chinese series, there was talk about trying to somehow evacuate the innocent occupants of the ship. I don't know what went on in their heads on Netflix, but it was in bad taste. I think this whole concept couldn't be clarified in the Netflix series because of the number of chapters, which made them summarize the script, but it wasn't convincing.

best review i have seen so far about the netflix version!

I read the books before watching the Tencent/WeTV series before watching the Netflix series. That is the same order in which I appreciate and like them. I have watched many reviews on RU-vid and read many published reviews--mostly of the Netflix version. Your review is by far the most insightful and overall best, thank you so much for it!

It's great to catch up with one of your reviews again. I wonder what you made of the Tatiana character? I haven't read the books yet so I don't know who she corellates with in the literary work. But I love an implacable enforcer antagonist and she really delivered on that for me.

The Tencent version is on Amazon Prime and Viki too. I love Benedict Wong but the producers just didn’t know how to dramatize scientific/philosophical subjects so they went for T & A and gore, which they know how to do.

I read the books and I watched the Netflix show. When I started reading the first book, it really took a long time to warm up to it. I could hardly empathise with the characters, for some reason. I really enjoyed the show a lot more. Yes, it is dumbed down a bit much. But making the characters more relatable and good scifi aren't mutually exclusive. And describing the human side of characters is not at all a strong point of the books. It's done way better in the Netflix show.

It's worth noting that Liu Cixin was a Consulting Producer for the Netflix version.

Thank you! You said what I was thinking. The guy who was supposed to be Luo Ji in the Netflix series was completely unconvincing and cannot even begin to imagine him becoming the Sword Holder. Eiza González as Dr. Augustina "Auggie" Salazar was just there to pout and be eye candy.

Everyone was so attractive. They had all the top scientists in a room and they look like Calvin Klein models. Totally took me out of the story

I much prefer the Tencent version and agree with much of the video (especially the CGI boat! 😂) but I'd still disagree slightly on a couple of points. Yes the Netflix version feels very restricted to the UK (non-global) but the same can be said of the Tencent/book with China (aside from the minor inclusion of the foreign generals) - I don't think either detracts too much as the plot is bigger than geopolitics. Likewise, yes Netflix has the scene in the pub and continuing life, but Tencent has Da Shi going for icecream and meals out in the midst of the chaos. I felt the heavy lean into emotional/relationship impact (cancer subplot) in the Netflix was unfaithful and a distraction, but still well done (just should be in a different show that's all). Also the children on the boat was definitely a (cliched) attempt to add extra gravity rather than as them being diaposable due to their parents - I thought the Tencent went the opposite way but with an equally cliched "the people on the boat are evil psychos so its fine" - Tencent CGI and staging much better for this part, but i think Netflix had more emotional weight. Overall whilst I wish Netflix was more faithful and was set in China, its clearly going to have broader appeal so still gets the book more attention - unfortunately far less people are going to sit through 30 subtitled episodes of RU-vid uploads with additional flaws on top (slow pacing, bad acting/dubs for English speakers, awkward advert placements on uploads). Ideally Tencent should have got a quality directors cut (trimmed down to 25-27 episodes) on a big streaming service like Amazon to compete. Netflix: 6.5/10, Tencent: 8.5/10

there was also a movie version but it got banned since the guy that banned is a fan of the book. it must be really bad.

I think there is a sort of Netflix imperative as well. Netflix wants an easily accessible adventure story, easily dubbed and easily subtitled for worldwide distribution and popularity.

It was as though Eiza González/Aggie's contract said she had to look like a 'starlet' in every scene. First time I've seen sexy underwear and vomit together like that.

Thanks you,. It was painful knowing that millions will have this as the only production adapting such quality sci-fi IP.

I tried so hard to like the netflix version. I dropped the last episode. Still contemplating if I should just watch it. I just felt it lacked the many philisophical concepts and themes underlining the story. The ideas discussed in the story are supposed to blow your mind more than the visuals. The universe blinking didn't even have much impact to me. I was expecting goosebumps but it really just felt like a scene in any impending doom in a disaster movie except it didn't have much impact on me. Or maybe I had such high expectations.

I'm on episode 6 and am enjoying it so far...but was curious about your thoughts (as my go-to Chinese drama reviewer!). I had a sense it would either be changed or watered down but haven't read the books yet. Thank you for sharing, I'd be sure to watch the original and see how it fares with the Netflix one. Edit - I agree, it's somewhat lacking. Started off great but it feels watered down. The plot and characters are just far too weak.

hadn’t heard good things then saw who produced it… well I’ll wait to read it instead once my library copy is available again

Thank you for your honest opinion. I was on the fence about watching but now I'm skipping for sure. The only actor that I'm excited about was Benedict Wong but even now not enough to watch this show.

I was writing something longer but as a white guy, I think the book did an amazing job with Ye Wenjie as a character making you understand why she slowly lost faith in humanity and to turn it to some weird rage/ naive belief thing is so odd. Evans a character we barely see using this as a way to eliminate humans to better the environment of this planet also completely lost. All the new/ repurposed characters I just felt lost by, it felt so much like we were just passing time with so many of these characters. I understand this want for a core cast of the show as a whole but it made this season feel so disjointed. In the book you understand why everything is happening in one country but it felt global, here it just just really felt small and it didn't feel global in any way. And just none of them felt like scientists or former graduate students to any degree what so ever. they said they want 4 seasons, I've only read the first two books, but I don't know how with these added characters they could even do that book justice.

This perspective is fascinating to me. I have reservations and disagreement, yet want to find out about the parts I don't understand. That's where much of my reservation /disagreement comes from. Some from it's a story told for an audience like me. Still, it's made me super interested to find out about the original intent of the story. Excellent reaction!

The most compelling evidence of god I've seen is that I was exposed to and watched the Chinese show and read the books mere days before the release on Netflix, which could have easily been my first (and then last) exposure to the series. Thank you, universe.

As someone who doesn't have a Netflix account, from this, I don't think I'll bother getting one just to watch it. I did watch the Tencent version of the series and found it very suspenseful and engaging. I'll stick with that one.

I finished the NetFlix version yesterday. I liked it more than I thought I would, but still don't think it did the books justice. But it reminded me of something I read that Ray Bradbury said about the film made from The Illustrated Man. He didn't think the movie was very good, but thought that even a bad movie might lead people to seek out and read the book. I think that will be true of this adaption too.

I've read the books years ago, and I consider them among the best sci-fi works I've consumed in my life so far. I agree with some of your points regarding characterization, e.g. of Ye Wenjie and also her relationship with Evans. One thing that bothered me in the books though, which I find better, though not perfectly executed in the Netflix adaptation, is the diversity of the cast. I'm generally not for diversity for the sake of diversity, as media and the movie industry in the West seems to be going these days, but this is one case where, for the sake of realism, it made no sense to me that most of the characters in the original story were Chinese, given the global impact of the events. It may be OK in the first book, since its main scenes take place in China, but in the 2nd and 3rd book it makes much less sense. Having the main characters of the story all be best buddies from university is kinda ridiculous, but it's still more believable than having 90% of the characters who have an impact on universe-changing events be from a single country/origin, as important and impactful as it is culturally and politically without a doubt. It may have worked better if they had Wade assemble an international team, some from China and some from other countries, and they started to get to know each other as the story unfolds, but that probably would have required an extra couple of episodes I suppose, which may have exceeded their budgetary and time constraints. Overall, I enjoyed the Netflix adaptation, and I treated it as a separate work from Liu Cixin's novels.