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- 2024
- Apple TV+
- 2024
- Apple TV+
- 2024
- Apple TV+
- 2024
- Apple TV+
Dark Matter (2024)
Season 1 Premiere: May 8, 2024
63
5.6
All Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
63
48% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
52% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
63
48% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
52% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
It’s a series that knows exactly what it wants to be and where it wants to go—the two precise things that elude its protagonist, who winds up at war with himself in ways that are both figurative and loopily literal.
The concept might seem silly, but the story by author Blake Crouch — who serves as showrunner and executive producer here and who also wrote many of the episodes — works, and challenges us to ponder what lengths we would go to if we were in not only Jason’s shoes but his wife Daniela’s as well (Connolly gives the role more dramatic shading than usual).
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 22 User Ratings
5.6
50% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
23% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
27% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 22 User Ratings
5.6
50% Positive
11 Ratings
11 Ratings
23% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
27% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Even better than I could have expected for a new book adaptation. People throw around “multiverse” BS being tired and while sure that’s true, this **** book did it before all of them in 2016. It’s just taken 8 years to get it made in the right hands! So before you start feeling better than everyone for pointing out it’s multiverse-y, consider this did it first.
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The show delivers some really strong performances that bring home its emotionally powerful themes – but like its world-hopping protagonist, it nearly gets lost along the way.
A lot of the concepts in “Dark Matter” work well. Edgerton is impressive in his depictions of both versions of Jason. .... Unfortunately, as fascinating as the character studies within “Dark Matter” are, the scientific aspects – especially regarding Jason2’s magical multiverse traveling machine, The Box, take away from the story’s core.
It can make you tired after awhile, keeping things sorted, and “Dark Matter” does go on for a while, though Crouch is careful to turn his midlife crisis drama into an action film at regular intervals. Things grow more and more complicated, as the very premise suggests they must, and at some point you may just be wondering how, or even if, Crouch is going to dig his protagonists out of the hole he’s dug for them; I’m sure some of you, smarter than I, will have worked it out.
Everything that it offers can be found somewhere more interesting, and we are all better off putting ourselves in front of those pieces of media instead of something that feels uninspired in the way that this show unfortunately does.
Characters repeat themselves simply to stretch runtime, and the whole project lacks the urgency needed to maintain the tension inherent in the story of a man whose life is stolen. Stars Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly do their best, but even these talented performers struggle to keep the stakes elevated over the length of a nine-episode season.
I really enjoyed the book and so far the show has captured the vibe of it. I will say I wasn't a fan of the constant retelling and only adding little bits to advance the plot in. That was not part of the book. I had to check to see if I was rewatching episode 1 when I started episode 2. I hope that is not going to be the gimmick for the whole show. I'm intrigued to see how they visualize some of the universes in the show.
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On the whole, this is quite promising though only at EP2. There are many plus points. It has a decent and moderately fresh (though not quite original - alternate universes have been covered for many decades now) storyline. The acting is excellent. On the downside, it has been a tad slow in parts and some of the dialogue and inter-personal dynamics have been rather clunky in their handling. Yet again, this is shot in low lighting for many of the scenes which the producers probably think is 'atmospheric' but which, in reality, is now an outdated technique and viewer-annoying. Even so, still a good watch and it'll be interesting to see how it develops.
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Production Company:
- Matt Tolmach Productions
- Sony Pictures Television
Initial Release Date: May 8, 2024
Number of seasons: 1 Season