Terrifying and Poignant, Netflix's 3 Body Problem Takes Its Cues From The Leftovers

Just as Dune: Part Two turns a book once thought of as unadaptable into a giant blockbuster with wide appeal, Netflix's adaptation of The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (who also wrote the delightfully bonkers The Wandering Earth) manages to capture the weirdness and the drama of its source material to great effect. Created by Alexander Woo and the duo David Benioff and D. B. Weiss in their first project post-Game of Thrones, this is a generation-spanning, global sci-fi epic about five scientist friends who make a discovery that changes our understanding of physics and the universe, as an otherworldly existential threat sends the planet into panic mode.

The adaptation is equal parts The Martian and The Leftovers; it’s a well-crafted, hard science sci-fi epic that is also a compelling existential drama about our place in the universe and how we face world-ending threats. Though at first glance, the show may feel like a Westworld-type mystery box that holds all its cards close to its chest until the last minute, the mystery here is unraveled early on. The blinking sky and the strange numbers appearing in people's visions are compelling for sure, but what matters is what comes.

The existential dread that comes with facing an unsolvable problem is at the core of 3 Body Problem. Like any good alien invasion or space disaster movie, a lot of the season is spent on board meetings, and other secret meetings with scientists scrambling to somehow advance our technology enough to deal with an unprecedented future invasion.

Yet the focus is mostly on the juxtaposition between the future and the present. Characters, much like Eiza González's Auggie, wonder if they should really be that concerned about something that won't impact humanity for generations when people are suffering now, as they always have and always will. In the era of COVID — which is still very much a thing — the knowledge that another worldwide epidemic is not just possible, but likely, makes that balance between fixing current problems and preparing for future ones terrifying and poignant, and the show mines significant drama from that dread.

Though 3 Body Problem features dozens of characters and plenty of concurrent plotlines, it smartly remains centered on a group of five friends who are shocked by the death of one of their own and the terminal diagnosis of another. Much like The Leftovers, the core mystery of the season and the science behind it complement the human drama without overshadowing it. Particularly compelling is the story of Alex Sharp's Will, the one friend who never thought of himself as good enough or worthy, and now has to face a personal tragedy. The way his story, initially small-scale and unconnected to the larger plot, ends up brought into the foreground is heartbreaking and a highlight of the season.

It’s also a smart way of adapting the books, which take a non-linear approach. Season 1 adapts the first book, but also parts of the second and third, approaching things chronologically and centering on the people involved rather than the big picture story. This is not to say that the story remains small in scope, as there are some sci-fi concepts and plot points that are astounding to see portrayed in a streaming show for all audiences, which promise an even wilder future.

A not insignificant portion of the season is spent on a subplot involving a mysterious virtual reality game of impossibly advanced technology. We're talking about a headset with no connecting ports, no cables, no console, just a smooth piece of metal. While the real three-body problem in orbital physics that gives the show its name has no solution (or so we thought), the virtual reality game is how the show solves a much simpler problem — how to make The Volume technology work despite its flaws.

The technology, also known as on-set virtual production, resulted in a stunning combination of VFX and on-camera effects when used in projects like 2016's The Jungle Book and the first season of The Mandalorian in 2019. Since then, we've seen the technology become like most other digital filmmaking tools, overused without proper planning. At its worst, The Volume produces a flat digital look that is as fake as green screen.

Netflix's 3 Body Problem has figured out the key to using The Volume — just embrace how fake it looks and make it the whole point. The virtual reality game within the show transports the user into a vast world of pure virtual imagination, with vast digital backgrounds involving armies and castles. As good as it initially looks, it's difficult to shake the feeling that the characters are in a video game rather than a real location, with spotty VFX and character models for the huge armies breaking the immersion — which is exactly the point. The characters are constantly pointing out how good the visuals are for it being a video game, and wonder who is capable of that technology. It is a simple, obvious even, but smart creative choice that makes it easier to look past the artificiality of it all.

3 Body Problem also appeals to Netflix's global audience by having a diverse cast, even if the story is mostly just set in England and New York City, which is a bit disappointing given how often we hear of scientists around the world being involved in the conflict. Still, as an adaptation of an unadaptable sci-fi novel, it delivers a thrilling story on an epic scale that also manages to bring forth a compelling human drama.

3 Body Problem premieres March 21 on Netflix. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Rafael Motamayor is a freelance writer and critic based in Norway.