Multiversal stories, similar to that of Dark Matter, have quickly become populist content in recent years. This is thanks, in part, to Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. But prior to that box office behemoth, the multiverse was a concept that mostly stayed within indie films such as Primer, with an occasional multiverse thrown into sci-fi shows that could afford to take a multiversal risk, such as Doctor Who.
Dark Matter finds itself somewhat innocent. The show is compelling in large bursts, and had this series occurred a decade ago, we may have been lauding it. While the fibres and tropes of multiverse tales that Dark Matter uses now feel a little old hat in this current influx of similar stories, the series is engaging, cerebral and highly entertaining.
The show opens with physics professor Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton, of The Boys in the Boat) teaching a class about Schrödingers Cat, a theory in which a cat is placed inside a box. Theorist Erwin Schrödinger states that the cat is in Superposition: it is both alive and dead inside the box while it is unobserved, proving that matter can be in two states at one time. Jason becomes the figurative cat in Dark Matter, a cerebral sci-fi thriller from Apple and Sony that tackles multiple universes, how the choices we make shape our self-concept and personality, and how the inherent messiness of a life lived can be a beautiful thing.
After walking back home from the party of best friend Ryan (Jimmi Simpson, of Fool’s Paradise), towards loving wife Danielle (Jennifer Connelly, of Top Gun: Maverick) and 16-year-old son Charlie (Oakes Fegley, of The Fabelmans), protagonist Jason is kidnapped and injected with a strange psychoactive drug. He awakens to a parallel world, one where Jason has been missing for 14 months. It turns out that this parallel world’s version of Jason (hereby referred to as Jason Two) is a rich and famous scientist, having won a major prize in his scientific field. He is also dating therapist Amanda (Alice Braga, of Hypnotic), but he does not have a family — notably one that consists of Daniella as his wife.
This review was first posted on May 2nd 2024. Full review linked below.
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