Three Body
Feb. 14th, 2024 08:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tiggymalvern
A few weeks ago, my friend Mary told me there was a Chinese TV series that she'd enjoyed called Three Body. And I went, 'Wait! Is that based on Liu Cixin's novel The Three Body Problem?' Mary said it was. She also said she hasn't read the book, but the forums say that the series is very close to the novel.
I've been evangelising The Three Body Problem now for more than a decade. It's one of the best, craziest sci-fi novels I've ever read (it's the first book of a trilogy - they're all good). And something you should go into knowing absolutely nothing about. Nothing. There's a trailer available on youtube but that contains too many spoilers. DO NOT WATCH IT unless you already know.
So we watched the series. And it was interesting because I've read the book and my husband hasn't, so he was getting the New Experience while I was spotting all the foreshadowing.
The series is indeed very close to the novel. It looks great too - the production values, cinematography and direction are beautiful. There are a few changes that make the story more visual, and one or two things I don't recall that I think were probably the Chinese censors getting in there. It's thirty episodes, and there's a period in the middle where the pacing feels a little slow (the SO was complaining about that; I agreed but it wasn't enough to actually bug me).
Anyway. It is good. Three Body is on Amazon Prime in the US, or available via other means like boat sites if you prefer not to give money to Jeff Bezos.
Interestingly, Netflix are releasing an English language adaptation of the book in March and the trailer for that contains fewer spoilers, but still too damn many.
Three Body was released in January of 2023, and I don't know if they're planning to adapt the other two books, but if they do, I'll be there.
I've been evangelising The Three Body Problem now for more than a decade. It's one of the best, craziest sci-fi novels I've ever read (it's the first book of a trilogy - they're all good). And something you should go into knowing absolutely nothing about. Nothing. There's a trailer available on youtube but that contains too many spoilers. DO NOT WATCH IT unless you already know.
So we watched the series. And it was interesting because I've read the book and my husband hasn't, so he was getting the New Experience while I was spotting all the foreshadowing.
The series is indeed very close to the novel. It looks great too - the production values, cinematography and direction are beautiful. There are a few changes that make the story more visual, and one or two things I don't recall that I think were probably the Chinese censors getting in there. It's thirty episodes, and there's a period in the middle where the pacing feels a little slow (the SO was complaining about that; I agreed but it wasn't enough to actually bug me).
Anyway. It is good. Three Body is on Amazon Prime in the US, or available via other means like boat sites if you prefer not to give money to Jeff Bezos.
Interestingly, Netflix are releasing an English language adaptation of the book in March and the trailer for that contains fewer spoilers, but still too damn many.
Three Body was released in January of 2023, and I don't know if they're planning to adapt the other two books, but if they do, I'll be there.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-14 08:09 pm (UTC)I'll keep an eye out for it, though, thanks
I finally got around to watching Shang-chi and the Ten Rings, because we just upgraded to a 55" 4K Tv and I wanted to know how our existing dvd player would cope (very well). And...meh.
The zodiac animals were fun, and the whole thing might have been better if it was just done as an ordinary wuxia movie, but I got sick of the fights, the vapid 'philosphy' of the pure, simple folks stuck in a forest who still have incredible technology (like a Chinese version of Wakanda), and the stapled on bits of Marvel lore to yoke it to the whole cinematic universe.
Michelle Yeoh was a delight, and the villain was probably the most interesting character, which isn't saying much. Visually stunning with an empty heart.
Maybe I'm getting sick of Marvel, but then, Loki was soooo good :(
no subject
Date: 2024-02-14 08:46 pm (UTC)Shang-chi was staggeringly meh. Michelle Yeoh was the only thing that kept me watching.
I am very much sick of Marvel at this point. Haven't watched Ant-Man 3, Wakanda 2, Guardians 3 or The Marvels. Nothing I heard about any of them convinced me it was worth my time. Only the animated Spider-verse films are genuinely good right now, it seems. Though I'll probably get around to watching the next Deadpool film at some point when that comes out, unless the reviews are terrible.
I watched the second season of Loki, and Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson absolutely make it. I love their characters and their relationship. The plot was whatver.