As Interesting and Beautiful as it is Overlong and Sleep-Inducing

This is a weird duck. And so bullets --

1. The production quality is really movie like, especially in the flashback sequences set around the Red Coast. The only time it strangely looks like Cheesy TV is during the International Board Room meetings

2. This is post modern Arthur C. Clarke/Issac Asimov stuff, where the science is science fiction is meant to be your only entertainment. As a kid in the mid-70s, I read this type of SCIENCE fiction a lot but in no time backed off of it because they were slow lifeless reads. All good stories are about the human condition. THREE BODY had the perfect opportunity to explore this very topic because a character within makes a major decision about humanity -- yet -- it barely touched upon it.

(There's a funny irony here. Okay, when I was a kid I was reading a monthly Sci-Fi magazine called ANALOG. There was a story once about a really cool concept but the story itself was dull beyond imagination. It was simply an excuse to share a hard science idea and make anyone go WOW.

The idea was that if man could manufacture a strong enough material that was also very lightweight -- we could build an elevator shaft from Earth and attach it to a satellite in space, hence eliminating rockets. Imagine -- you could have a giant bar in space that people would travel up to for the wildest cocktails ever. And imagine the damn view of Earth and Space!

I forget most of what I read in that magazine over the decades -- except for this. And the same exact concept is mentioned inside of THREE BODY in one episode. And so... I was either reading this Chinese author all those years ago... OR... he was reading Analog magazine, lol.)

3. So many characters just... stood there. It was like COVID all over again where no one was allowed to touch anybody, social distancing, you know? Yes, of course, it's trite to create a love story just to make it like any other Chinese drama -- but this one really needed it. BADLY. If it doesn't matter later in the series, I would have made the ML a FL scientist -- so that -- there would have been some sexual tension between the lead and our favorite cop ever, Shi Qiang (Yu He Wei). That said --

4. -- if it wasn't for this cast I would have walked after six episodes. I knew two of them from other dramas (Yu He Wei, REBEL PRINCESS and he was even better here) and (Johnny Zhang who was better in THE GREAT CRAFTSMAN). I loved being introduced to Chen Jin and Wang Zi Wen, two ladies who masterfully played Ye Wen Jie in two different eras.

5. In general this show literally induces sleep. I'm not kidding but there were about 12 nights I had to fight from sleeping to finish it. Perfect for early day viewing but it's Ambien after 9PM. I'm not being mean, this is the truth. The characters rarely clash with each other, they're often shown in shadows in dim rooms, and there's this droning song at the end of most episodes which could best be described as a Trisolorian Lullably.

6. Okay so our lead dude with the glasses has a special clock that ticks and ticks downward. Was I asleep when it got 'turned off' or did they simply forget to show us where the clock was by the end of his part of the series. I thought our Trisolorians were going to arrive just as his clock reached zero.

I'm happy I saw this and somehow I want to see the 2nd Season of this but I can't recommend it with any enthusiasm. Oh, and I don't give a damn about how good the books are -- because I'm not reading the book. I'm watching a series. If the series puts me to sleep, they either picked the wrong series of books or they've made the series way too long.

A third of THREE BODY should have been clicked and erased to make the rest of this stronger.

Leggi di Più

Rather interesting and good... but not great

Greetings,

I'm stunned no one has written a review yet. Maybe it will encourage people to try it, since the show so far is pretty good.

1. I've watched this dynamic director before with LOUYANG. He's less about nuance, more about keeping things moving. My only annoyance with this director is his overuse of flash-zooms. I don't know what they're called but it's like you're watching something in the distance moving and then BOOM you're a lot closer. It's fake exciting and upsets my stomach. I will say in Episode 36 there's some amazing camerawork with drones in a forest during a chase scene.

2. My silly nickname for this piece is BULLETS OVER BURMA.

3. I felt this story suffered from... umm... gender imbalance. I wanted to see more of the women they had, like the Geisha and the ballerina. More romance between the obvious suspects. This plot would have benefited greatly by balancing the political inhumanities with romantic humanity. Speaking of that plot --

4. -- the idea of a man losing his memories and spending 40 episodes slowly recalling them was too complex, too drawn out, and kinda not worth it's central plot status. Personally I stopped caring at the 2/3rds point. That said --

5. -- the story becomes more addictive the deeper you go, but you must get about a third of the way in to stay in. I'd recommend watching two episodes a pop. Two episodes at a time would also help keep the MANY characters in your head, especially if Chinese names are hard for you to remember.

6. There's a weird moment where a character dies. She is laying on the ground grey as anything. What's weird is that it doesn't look like her, and so you're left wondering if said character is secretly still alive. The man that discovers her dead on the ground would know the difference. (Was the actress too busy or spooked to play dead?) I will say if this character is actually dead, it's a crime. She was one of the best and had that 'humanity' thing mentioned above.

7 . The music is a mixed bag. The background music is solid, but the two main songs belong in the credits only, but unfortunatelykeep appearing in the story itself. One is a riff of Bond's YOU KNOW MY NAME and when it appears in the show it's painfully out of place. If I were the producer of this series, I'd have made the ending credits song the opening song and composed a sad ballad for the ending credits, something most Chinese dramas of this seriousness level do with success. (Find an episode of IMPERFECT LOVE and play the ending titles. You'll want to watch the show it's so beautiful.)

8. Our lead actors are good but our story wastes them in countless talky exposition scenes. To me that story is too ornate for it's own good. Still, the actors are otherwise very talented. Xin Zhi Lei is stunning (as usual) but she -- like so many of the cast -- spends a lot of time reacting to what others say instead of doing anything. Luo Qiu Yun stands around corners or with her back to others and does the exact same reaction about 100 times. I'm not kidding. A subtle turn of the head, a subtle roll of the eyes -- over and over and over again. She's very cute/sexy/pretty but it gets old as hell.

The lead male is a little flat, like an athlete they begged to act. He has this great walk I've never seen another Chinese male actor have, which is kind of leading with his pelvis and simply commanding any room he walks into. He had a difficult role to pull off and was okay, but I felt there should have been more to him somehow.

Here is a special shout out to Dong Xuan/Michelle Dong who does wonders with exposition. She's new to me and lends this series a dignity and centered performance. I want to see more of her.

9. The overall production values are quite good... which makes me wonder why more people haven't seen it. Budget wise this show strikes me as a big deal.

10 . I'm completely unaware of the history of this period. From a Westerner's perspective it's all so new. And sad. I started a discussion below in the comments and the History Buffs shared some very interesting perspectives. I'm happy I'm watching the series and seeing things from this perspective. For those who fear it is propaganda, it is in the way any film about Good Guys VS the Nazis are.

11. Most Chinese Drama's I've watched end poorly. Like the story ends but the series drones on a bit, sometimes for episodes. This series ended properly in a satisfactory manner. Not my fave series but I'm happy I watched it.

I know I don't sound very enthused but it's a solid 8.0 for me at the moment. Don't let my critical self dissuade, give it a shot if you're looking for something a little different.

Leggi di Più