On March 21, Beijing time, the Netflix version of the film and television series " Three Body " was officially launched. A well-known domestic science fiction IP was adapted overseas, which caused a lot of controversy for a while. On the domestic rating website Douban, domestic viewers who have watched the show seem to be generally dissatisfied. The show only received a passing score of 6.8 points after its launch; while on the overseas rating website imdb, international viewers rated it 7.8 points and There is a relatively large contrast in the country.
Judging from the plot adaptation, the story of Netflix's version of "The Three-Body Problem" basically continues the main timeline of the original work, but the background of the story has been moved from Beijing to London in 2024. The gender of the main character Wang Miao has been changed to female. Important characters such as Luo Ji, Cheng Xin, and Yun Tianming, who only appeared in the second and third parts of the original work, also appeared in the drama version in advance. In addition, Luo Ji is played by a black actor, and Ye Wenjie, the soul character in the original work, also has two more emotional lines in the drama version. Ye Wenjie developed feelings for Bai Mulin, a reporter from "Dashengbao", and Evans, the leader of the Trisolaran Organization, and even had intimate scenes.
These "explosive changes" are obviously unforgivable fallacies for the "originalists" of "Three-Body". Letting Wang Miao, Luo Ji, Cheng Xin, Yun Tianming and others form the "Oxford Five" not only confused the audience who are familiar with the original work, but also disrupted the story timeline in the original work. For most viewers who are familiar with "The Three-Body Problem", the original work has extremely high literary value, and the character clues are connected with each other. The Netflix version randomly disrupts the narrative structure, which may weaken the structural charm of the original work itself. Judging from the adaptation strategy of the Netflix version, the relatively obscure scientific principles in "The Three-Body Problem" have also been greatly weakened, while the actions of the characters have been enhanced, and the core story elements have been advanced at a faster pace.
The Oxford Five
and the Tencent online drama version of "The Three-Body Problem" were filmed almost page by frame from the original work. Such "explosive changes" are obviously a bit offensive. The Tencent online drama version spent a long time telling how Wang Miao was disturbed by the Three-Body Organization and how he came into contact with the Three-Body Game. However, in the Netflix version, the Three-Body Game has been cleared in just one episode. This kind of expression that quickly cuts to the theme is generally considered to be closer to the narrative rhythm of American dramas. This kind of "magic modification" is also closer to the creative concept of overseas dramas. Obviously, this is also the inevitable change that the original IP will encounter after it is exported overseas. Facing different audiences and markets, Netflix has chosen a more international and popular way of expression, and what it has to take care of is the possibility Most overseas audiences have not read the original work of "The Three-Body Problem", and the reason for removing the scientific principles in the story that is not easily accepted and enhancing the drama of the characters and the strong plot of the story is to meet the needs of the market.
This may be exactly what makes domestic audiences feel stuck in their throats. Once IP enters the international market, they cannot control how it is adapted. However, Liu Cixin, the original author of "The Three-Body Problem", holds a relatively open attitude towards adaptation. According to overseas media, during the first video meeting with the Netflix creators, Liu Cixin took the initiative to propose the idea of "magic reform": "My books are all male characters, and it might be better to change some of them to women. . If it wants to target a global audience, it might be better to make this drama in English." Netflix has received a certain degree of adaptation support from the original author, so it will naturally handle this IP from a perspective that is more suitable for overseas distribution. .
The embodiment of the proton.
For domestic audiences, the disappointment of Netflix’s version of “The Three-Body Problem” doesn’t stop there. The average budget of each episode of Netflix's version of "The Three-Body Problem" is US$20 million, and the total cost of the entire series is approximately US$160 million, making it one of the most expensive single-episode projects in Netflix's history. With such a high investment budget, the most exciting special effects scenes in the story of "The Three-Body Problem" are not satisfactory. Taking the virtual screen of the Three-Body game as an example, Tencent's version of "Three-Body" uses CG special effects + dynamic capture to present the Three-Body world. The "Ghost Countdown", "Cosmic Flicker" and "Judgment Day" in the original work A high production budget was spent on the boat cutting scene, and a real boat was even built to complete the filming.In comparison, the scenes of the dehydration of the Trisolarans in the Netflix version of "Three-Body" appear shoddy. The "cosmic flickering" can be observed with the naked eye and is only a ppt effect. The scene of the "Judgment Day" ship cutting is even rougher. Like 2D animation. Where the huge production budget goes is perhaps the most puzzling aspect.
In this regard, although overseas audiences gave this version a score of more than 7 points, overseas media seem to be dissatisfied. "The Hollywood Reporter" believes that Netflix's version of "The Three-Body Problem" does not lack good things, but it is generally very bland and has few memorable performances. "Rolling Stone" magazine was not polite, saying that the first season of the show was "mediocre at best" and that although the special effects looked good, it "barely could replicate the awe-inspiring success of Game of Thrones." Indeed, the main creative lineup of Netflix's version of "The Three-Body Problem" comes from the overseas award-winning "Game of Thrones". Producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are both core creators of "Game of Thrones". Another producer, Alexander Wu, also produced "True Blood" and was nominated for an Emmy Award. It is also an adaptation of a literary IP. The adaptation of "Game of Thrones" has received an average of more than 9 points of praise. Perhaps it is the high expectations for Netflix's version of "The Three-Body Problem" that have backfired on the reputation of this drama.
