Dark Matter

Blake Crouch's book Dark Matter comes to life in this Apple TV series. I bought the book last summer but only read it after seeing the show's preview. Thanks to Blake Crouch's multiple roles as producer, writer, and creator, the series is well done and stays faithful to the novel's tone, storyline, places, themes, and even some dialogue was lifted straight from the pages of the book. Having read the book, I worried the TV series might be predictable, but Crouch made enough changes to keep it fresh and riveting. For example, the book barely touches on Jason 2's life after taking over Jason 1's, so the show's exploration of this was a welcome addition. Although there's some questionable casting choices made that differ from the characters in the book, the cast performed beautifully.

For those who got bored after a couple of episodes, I disagree with the advice to stick with it because it gets better. I thought the series was exceptional from the start and the overarching tonality of the show stayed pretty consistent throughout. So, if you didn't like the first two episodes, you probably won't like the rest. I loved it. But maybe, just maybe, somewhere in the multiverse, another version of me is writing a very different review. And I'm OK with that.

I always like to wait until a season is over before I start watching it because I hate waiting week to week and like to binge watch my shows. I'm so glad I did that with Dark Matter because it would've drove me nuts waiting a week between episodes. Once I started I couldn't stop watching, I'm not saying it's the best show ever but it's a solid sci-fi series that's definitely worth watching. It has an all-star cast led by Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connolly, Alice Braga and Jimmi Simpson. Usually when big names like that are attached the show is pretty good. This show actually makes you think about all the possibilities that your own life could've taken if you just made some different decisions. It makes you really think about your regrets and even the simplest of decisions that changed your life.

Let me start by saying that I read a book years ago and the plot has always stuck with me. Over the years I forgot what the book was called or the subplots but I never forgot how it made me feel. It was such an incredible idea that I felt like everyone could identify with. That maybe you had regret over one decision in your life and what would your life be like had you made a different decision? I've described the plot to so many people but have never been able to recall the title. It's driven me nuts for such a long time because I've talked about it so much. Yah, Google I get it but I just never tried.

I started watching this and as it unraveled I thought, no, did someone copy that book's plot and then write a show? It was so similar I thought, that can't be a coincidence. And of course it isn't. It is the book!! Well, slight differences but overall the idea is the same.

I love this adaptation and of course some of my favorite actors added to an amazing experience. Mostly I am just over the moon that Blake Crouch did the adaptation so the feel is very similar. This time I feel there is much more psychology involved in how our past can affect our futures and it's all so fascinating. Love, love, love!!!

Dark Matter starts well. As these mini-series tend to go, the first episode is like a pilot. Often the show creator -- in this case Blake Crouch, adapting from his own novel -- writes and directs, as Crouch does here. After this great opening, though, the pace slows way down. To the point of agonizing boredom.

The book, which I read years ago, is a stripped-down edgy sci-fi thriller. The sentences are punchy, the paragraphs and chapters short. The sci-fi is given just enough mumbo jumbo to make it intriguing and credible in the book; here it's dumbed down quite a bit.

Crouch seems to be expanding things to make more of a drama. Near the end, this is done to great effect. But in episodes 2, 3, 4, the set-up is just too slow, and it's still confusing. I had to explain to my wife what was going on. Crouch is withholding the purpose of the box, but this only befuddles the story. Better to explain what it is from the outset, then let the drama of Jason's attempt to return home unfold, and Jason 2's run of the perfect life coming apart.

But things start clicking again around episode 5, then 6, and halfway through episode 8 -- Jupiter -- you know the show is at its best.

And Joel Edgerton is always good in everything he does.

7.5/10.

Dark Matter is an original and suspenseful sci-fi that will keep you interested throughout the season. The story is about a man named Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) who gets abducted into an alternate version of his life. To get back to his family he'll have to go through countless versions of his what his life could've been. It's like his very own multiverse. And while there are more and more shows/movies on the multiverse, this one actually feels original. The show has so many twists and turns and takes you into so many different directions that you can't wait to see what happens next. I'll tell you what, Apple TV+ is absolutely killing it. Almost all of their shows have been great. Only a couple of their originals are what I consider bad. I'd put Dark Matter somewhere in the middle. Thats not a bad thing considering how many great shows they have.