DARK MATTER on Apple TV+ is a sci-fi thriller series based on the book by Blake Crouch. I love the concept which is absolutely terrifying. The all-star cast is led by Joel Edgerton, who does a great job. Read our full Dark Matter series review here!
DARK MATTER is a new Apple TV+ sci-fi thriller series with a plot that is simple, but a storyline that gets increasingly complex for our main character. It’s a multiverse with lots of alternative universe stories for the lead character Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton). Based on the blockbuster book by acclaimed author Blake Crouch.
I have not read the book, so I can’t say how closely it follows it. However, I can tell you that watching the series made me want to read the book, which is usually a good sign. Also, I know it’s been called one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, so clearly it should be worth reading. The season has 9 episodes – released weekly!
Continue reading our Dark Matter series review below. Find it on Apple TV+ from May 8, 2024.
The horror of one self
In Dark Matter, we follow Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton). He’s a real family man along with being a physicist and professor who teaches for a living. One night in Chicago, while heading home to his wife and son, he is abducted.
He never sees the face of the person who abducts him, but he wakes up to an alternate version of his life. In this life, he is an Elon Musk-like entrepreneur and never married the love of his life, nor does he have a son. Instead, he opted for the career that he gave up to be a family man in his “real” life.
From being confused about his situation, he realizes the actual nightmare he’s trapped in. Trying desperately to return to his own version of reality (his universe, if you will), he has to go through a labyrinth of realities. The worst thing of it all, the man who kidnapped him and sent him to this other reality, is himself!
Such a great cast
By now, seeing Academy Award winners and nominees in a TV show is nothing new. It’s the latest golden age of television and streaming platforms are using a lot of money on series. For Apple TV+ the bar has always been set very high, which I’ve come to recognize means that even if I don’t care for the story, the production quality is gorgeous!
For Dark Matter, the production quality is gorgeous, but fortunately, the story is also mindboggling amazing, and the cast is brilliant.
Alongside Joel Edgerton in the lead role, we see Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly (the Snowpiercer series), Alice Braga (Hypnotic), and Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, The Man Who Fell to Earth) in key roles. Also in the series are Dayo Okeniyi (Fresh), Oakes Fegley (Pete’s Dragon), and Amanda Brugel (Infinity Pool, Becky).
Watch Dark Matter on Apple TV+ now!
The new Apple TV+ series is based on the book by New York Times bestselling author Blake Crouch, who adapted his own novel into this series. Yes, that’s right, not only is Blake Crouch the author of the novel, but he is also the creator of the series. I love it when that happens and it works as well as it does here.
Another prominent example that always comes to mind for me is Gillian Flynn. She wrote the screenplay for David Fincher’s Gone Girl based on her own novel. Other writers on the Dark Matter episodes are Megan McDonnell (WandaVision), Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, and Ihuoma Ofordire (Lovecraft Country).
The directors of the nine episodes are Jakob Verbruggen (Apple TV+ Invasion), Roxann Dawson (The Horror of Dolores Roach), Logan George (Servant), Celine Held (Servant), and Alik Sakharov (Ozark, Gypsy, The Witcher).
The nine-episode Apple Original series premieres globally on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes followed by one new episode every Wednesday until the finale on June 26, 2024.
Dark Matter premieres on Apple TV+ on May 8, 2024.
Details
Directors: Jakob Verbruggen, Logan George, Alik Sakharov, Celine Held, Roxann Dawson
Writers: Blake Crouch, Megan McDonnell, Jacquelyn Ben-Zekry, Ihuoma Ofordire
Cast: Joel Edgerton, Jimmi Simpson, Jennifer Connelly, Dayo Okeniyi, Alice Braga, Oakes Fegley
Plot
Dark Matter follows Jason Dessen, a physicist, professor and family man who — one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago — is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.
- You Can’t Run Forever – Movie Review (3/5) - May 17, 2024
- Killer Body Count – Review | Tubi (4/5) - May 17, 2024
- The 8 Show – Review | Netflix Series - May 17, 2024
