Critic Reviews
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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.
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Edgerton brings subtle shadings to each of his Jasons, and watching the original version try to find his way back to his world through a seemingly infinite array of portals makes for a wildly entertaining and compelling ride. [3 - 23 Jun 2024, p.4]
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What can be disclosed freely is that there is a high level of suspense, tangible tension created by Jason's dilemmas and by the action-thriller aspects of "Dark Matter," and that the acting is first-rate.
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It's a perfectly chilling and beautiful sci-fi tale and, despite the complications of parallel worlds, boils down to a love story. It's the final two episodes that really elevate the series, with Edgerton's performance at its best and a chilling twist in the story injecting genuinely heart-racing danger into the story.
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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).
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“Dark Matter” is a visually stunning and heart-grabbing journey of the mind and heart featuring show-stopping performances by Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly, who (along with a number of other cast members) are tasked with playing different versions of the same character and succeed in creating fully formed personas. It’s elevated acting. Also, not gonna lie to you, there are times when the storyline goes so deep down the rabbit hole you’ll feel as lost as the characters themselves.
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“Dark Matter” may falter here and there, but its cerebral and emotional texture—about regret, how the subconscious marches to its own beat, why we make the wrong choices, and the fear of learning what we’re truly capable of, et al.—is some meaty, memorable stuff, worth the mind-altering trip.
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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.
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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.
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Even though the series isn't quite on the level of the flawed yet focused novel, it makes for a mostly serviceable and frequently stellar adaptation.
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If we’re being brutally honest, Dark Matter should probably be better than it is, but its basic storytelling shortcomings aren’t fully heinous. And it’s a price worth paying for some TV that absolutely flies when it’s on a roll and sticks a tricky landing in the end with the finesse of an Eastern European Olympic gymnast. Much like its author-turned-showrunner, this is definitely one to watch.