SummaryPhysicist professor Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) is kidnapped and wakes up in an alternate version of his life in the sci-fi series based on Blake Crouch's novel of the same name.
SummaryPhysicist professor Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) is kidnapped and wakes up in an alternate version of his life in the sci-fi series based on Blake Crouch's novel of the same name.
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).
Reviews that didn't watch all 9 episodes should be discounted.
Without spoilers, suffice to say that the first season builds to one of the better plotted and more interesting conclusions in modern television. Stick with it through the entire season, and the show will reward you.
This is scifi at its best -- using a simple hypothetical to hold a mirror up to our everyday selves and provide interesting questions *and* answers.
If you enjoy people in your scifi, definite watch. If you think it would be better with just robots and lasers, pass.
I'm hooked. This is what sci-fi is meant to be. a mystery thriller pushing the edges of theoretical science, and showing the impact on people. Update: After finishing the season...I was compelled to leave a review as I was really overwhelmed by a sense of happiness and completeness after watching Dark Matter. This is exactly what I hope for when I watch a sci-fi movie. Something that plays upon theoretical sciences, and exploring its impact on people, that we care about, while leaving us to reflect on existentialsm. Dark matter creates compelling characters that we grow attached to, root for and cheer for, and hope for. The suspense, peril, and existential dilemmas are so intense after each episode all the way until the last and the pay off is maybe a little too satisfying in that, it makes reality a bit hard to return to. If anyone recalls Safety Not Guaranteed directed by Colin Trevorrow with Mark Duplass an Aubrey Plaza, Dark Matter's finale leaves you with that same feeling of awe, humility, and peace at the end. It may even be better because it was a journey over 8 episodes that you'll get to savor.
Crouch and his writers aren’t trying to confuse the viewers. As far as science fiction stories like this go, it’s a refreshing approach. .... Edgerton does a good job of showing both Jasons’ motivations.
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.
It was SciFi so there's that. The plot was interesting. Acting was good, but it was sometimes like watching everybody using the same face. The time lines (alternate realities) get difficult to follow and shift quite a bit so that's hard to follow; sometimes I don't know where I am. :-)
Anyway, the show plods along and ends and I wonder if I would be interested in watching a second season (I'm not sure). We'd rate this "go ahead and watch, it is science fiction."
I was rather sceptical when I saw the trailer, but I like Sci-Fi, so why not.
They are so many mistakes in the first 20 minutes that I gave up watching.
Feels that we're back in 00s with badly written shows.
C’est hélas un peu trop la série typique qui a du potentiel et de l’originalité mais qui au fil des épisodes ne les concrétise pas et s’enlise de plus en plus dans le train-train de l’ennui, la répétition et… le vide finalement !
Malgré évidemment les prémisses séduisants de ce psycho-thriller quantique en parallèle du ‘multi-vers’ (univers multiples à volonté…), servi pas des comédiens assez convaincants, avant qu’ils ne finissent par faire du surplace…
La faute bien sûr à un scénar qui manque de souffle, la faute à des dialogues qui deviennent ineptes, la faute à un remplissage un peu trop flagrant ainsi qu’à un wokisme rampant (même si on a vu bien pire dans le genre ou plutôt le sous-genre)… sans compter une guimauve récurrente particulièrement pitoyable.
La réalisation reste de très bon aloi, de même que les effets spéciaux mais la déception demeure, à tel point qu’à mi-parcours environ (4 ou 5 sur les 9), on ne peut plus continuer : la série quantique (déjà moribonde) du voyage dans le temps en parallèle est devenue super chiante et super casse-couilles.
Je propose donc de retourner dans la boîte jusqu’à ce qu’on trouve une série américaine enfin correcte sinon de qualité… et m’est idée qu’on n’a pas fini d’ouvrir et de fermer des portes… serait-ce encore la grève de ces cons de scénaristes imbibés et complètement camés ou quoi ?!