It seems like the Multiverse was a niche and mindblowing concept just a few years back but that all changed since comic book adaptations arguably made it more mainstream (despite sci-fi movies and TV shows having covered it for decades). It used to be that time travel was the most common sci-fi trope but now we’re in a world where the multiverse is fast becoming (or already has become, according to many) a tired overused trope in media.

Honestly, I’m personally fatigued with the whole multiverse concept myself, so does Apple TV+’s Dark Matter justify its own existence or add anything interesting to the mix? Fortunately, the answer to that is yes, so read on to find out more.

Across The Multiverse

If you’ve watched the trailer for Dark Matter or if you know anything about the source material (Dark Matter is an adaptation of a novel by Blake Crouch, who is also the showrunner for the TV series), the premise is simple enough to grasp. At the heart of the story and plot of Dark Matter is what if you find yourself waking up in an alternate universe with an imposter in your place and stealing your life, eating, sleeping and living with your family? That’s not exactly something new or unique if you’re used to sci-fi stories or stories using the multiverse concept, with many previous series like Star Trek and Fringe to even recent shows like Counterpart and of course, the myriad number of comic book adaptations out there.

The best thing about Dark Matter is while the basic premise is a familiar one, it offers new and refreshing perspectives on the multiverse concept. In the first few episodes of Dark Matter, it may feel like the series is just generic and going through all the hoops because viewers are aware of the multiverse angle, but the main character, Jason Dessen (played by Joel Edgerton) only gradually realizes it while everyone around him thinks that he’s crazy, before he starts thinking that he’s crazy too, which is a cycle we’ve all seen before in other previous multiverse stories. However, it’s what comes after that, several episodes in, that Dark Matter begins fully showing off its potential.

Dark Matter explores familiar multiverse subject matter such as the roads not taken and how even the smallest choices have consequences, but it also highlights a perspective that’s rarely explored in sci-fi series like this; the emotional and psychological aspects. The series starts picking up around the third episode or so, which is when it starts delving more into detail about the quantum physics concepts used in the show. That’s fascinating and all, but after that, the series explores how everything that’s happening, all this multiverse stuff, affects the human mind, both psychologically and emotionally. This lends a more realistic and relatable aspect to the multiverse story in Dark Matter, which is something that other multiverse stories don’t really explore that much.

In addition, there’s heart at the heart of this sci-fi (yeah, I know how that sounds), but also at the heart of Dark Matter is a story about regret, love and family. Perhaps what makes Dark Matter even more refreshing is how personal and intimate the story becomes throughout the season. It doesn’t follow the same formulaic aspects of other multiverse stories that tend to rely on the same evil big bads, big conspiracies and big organizations. That’s not to say that there aren’t any stakes in Dark Matter. In fact, the stakes sometimes feel more resonant to me because of how personal and intimate they are, involving complex emotions and subject matter, instead of the usual end of the universe or breaking the time and space bullshit.

One line even made me cry and it will probably stick with me for the rest of my life (I won’t spoil the context, of course, this is a spoiler-free review). I think this line perfectly encapsulates what Dark Matter is all about:

“No world can be perfect, but we have to choose to make our life as great as it can be.”

Kudos to the cast of Dark Matter because they all deliver compelling and brilliant performances. Dark Matter benefits from having a smaller cast compared to other sci-fi series, which contributes to the more personal and intimate atmosphere of the series. It’s definitely one of the series’ strong points, as it doesn’t suffer from a bloated cast that can be a problem for some sci-fi shows. The MVPs here are Joel Edgerton as the protagonist Jason Dessen and Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Daniela Dessen, as well as Alice Braga as Amanda Lucas (and I just have to mention Jimmi Simpson as Ryan Holder). Their relationships and dynamics with each other form the emotional focal point of the narrative, but I’d have to say that the chemistry between the top two leads (Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly) is the biggest reason why everything works so well.

All that being said, while I am an advocate for weekly releases for TV series in general, the pacing of Dark Matter does feel like it’s more suited for the binge-able format. Perhaps that can be attributed to how engrossed I was while watching it (I received the entire season all at once), but I’m not sure how it will hold up the interests of viewers, especially at the beginning. The first few episodes can be a bit predictable and it only starts getting really gripping several episodes in. That seems to be the only flaw of Dark Matter. Still, the first two episodes of Dark Matter will premiere on 8 May 2024, so that helps.

Everything, Everywhere All At Once

As I was writing this review, I realised that Dark Matter explores some of the same themes and subject matter as the critically acclaimed Everything, Everywhere All At Once. Both explore regret, love, family, choices and the roads not taken. While Dark Matter can sometimes be a lot darker and bleak in its depiction of the multiverse, it’s ultimately still an optimistic story at its heart.

Apple TV+ is already one of the best current platforms for modern sci-fi and science fiction stories, boasting the likes of For All Mankind, Foundation, and Monarch Legacy Of Monsters. Now, they can add Dark Matter to that same list, that’s how good it is.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We received screeners from Apple TV+ Malaysia. Dark Matter is slated to premiere on Apple TV+ on 8 May 2024. There will be nine episodes in Dark Matter Season 1.