Dark Matter is a mediocre science fiction thriller. Or could it be more? As a great fan of the Black Mirror series, it is obvious that I watched Dark Matter with interest. Does Dark Matter fall under the heading of science fiction? To determine that, we need to look at the definition:
Science fiction or science fiction film is English for "science fiction". They are stories, films or series with technology and often aliens. It often takes place in the future. Remarkably, the creative inventors of this genre of films, books and other media are way ahead of their time.
Using this definition, you could safely say that Dark Matter is indeed a sci-fi series. However, don't expect aliens, laser weapons or cool 'captains in space'. What you can look forward to is an intelligent story with the necessary science fiction elements.
[image-444135] The series revolves around Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton, The Underground Railroad). He is a professor of natural sciences. He teaches students who are not interested in the subject at all. This is a common and entertaining recipe in series and films to portray someone as a loser. Dark Matter is about parallel worlds, or a multiverse. So several Jasons also live in the parallel worlds. One of those Jasons has invented a cube that allows him to visit other and multiple worlds. This way we get to see some beautifully rendered dystopian worlds. The series is set in Chicago. The seasoned Chicago Med/Fire/Police and, more recently, ER viewer will recognize the city.
It all starts a bit slowly. Perhaps it would have been better if they had opted for a mini-series with three episodes. The series now consists of nine episodes. And the momentum really picks up in episode eight (Jupiter). This episode stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Only the multiverse is infinite.
The underlying theme is the desire for a loving and stable family situation. The family in, let's say world 1, consists of Jason, his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly, Snowpiercer) and son Charly (Oakes Fegley).
The acting is, as you would expect from an Apple series, excellent. But when I saw Alice Braga I kept thinking of the Queen of the South in which she has a dominant leading role. Alice Braga is Jason's opponent in a parallel world. It's a personal observation, but I think she has a Swiebertje effect. Perhaps also a compliment for her strong role as Teresa Mendoza in Queen of the South. I enjoyed watching that series.
It was quite difficult to review this series, hence the question in the opening paragraph. Writing a review about a series that you are extremely enthusiastic about is a lot easier. I also had to think for a long time about the grade I will award to Dark Matter. However, I can't get any further than a measly six, and I can imagine that opinions may differ on this.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
