Alien invasion stories have been a standard part of film and television for quite some time. Be it Independence Day, Pacific Rim, or even Avengers, blockbusters and science fiction television have always had a place to comfortably market stories about heroic teams coming together to beat a sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial threat.
However, it seems that Netflix has decided to attempt to break the mold with its latest offering, 3 Body Problem, which is an adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel by Chinese author Liu Cixin. It can be assumed that the team behind the show, led by D.B.Weiss and David Benioff, actually managed to pull it off, as a recommendation to watch the show has come straight from the X handle of Hideo Kojima.
Hideo Kojima calls the series “complicated”
Usually, whenever Hideo Kojima takes to his X account to recommend something, people listen. Showering the Netflix series with a host of positive comments, Kojima praised the work that Game of Thrones alums Weiss and Benioff were able to pull off with 3 Body Problem. The video game auteur left a lengthy review of the show on X:
I've just finished watching through eight episodes of "3 Body Problem." The original novel by Liu Cixin is depicted on a grand scale and in a unique style. With a slow-paced introduction, the ensemble drama spins a timeless story with intersecting characters. Abstract and… pic.twitter.com/RlZaKIoHyz
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 23, 2024
The video game legend was keen on explaining how he appreciated the film, pointing towards the host of ideas that he thought the film was able to adapt brilliantly from the novel.
Hideo Kojima praised how the film was adapted for a modern audience, updating the time and place of the story, while effectively allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the story and what it is trying to say. He also called the film “more complicated” than the average alien invasion story, recommending it to audiences who might be a little done with the genre.
Could the 3 Body Problem redeem David Benioff and D.B. Weiss?
While there was widespread backlash for the work the creators of the show put into Game of Thrones, the duo have been largely absent from the public zeitgeist after their exit from HBO’s epic fantasy series. The 3 Body Problem might just redeem the duo, given the reviews it has been garnering.
Sitting at a cozy 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics seem to enjoying the show a lot, although the quality of writing and work is nowhere close to the level of the initial seasons of Game of Thrones. It is possible that with a large enough viewership, this show will be able to reinstall David Benioff and D.B. Weiss into the cultural zeitgeist as competent and enjoyable writers all around.
