--- title: "Dark Matter: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/dark-matter/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/dark-matter" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dark Matter (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 11 reviews: 6 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come away favourably disposed, if not excited. The praise gathers around Joel Edgerton, who plays two versions of the same man and, the reviews agree, keeps them distinct without fuss; Jennifer Connelly and Alice Braga are named as steadying presences alongside him. There is also approval for how the series uses its parallel-worlds premise: for regret and roads not taken rather than for spectacle, with a love story underneath the physics. Several reviews call it accessible, and one or two find it satisfying by the finale. The reservations cluster almost entirely on length. Nine episodes is too many for most of the critics, who complain of padding, wheel-spinning and long stretches of explanation, and note the source novel is tighter. The spread is wide. /Film puts it ahead of anything the genre has managed in years; The Hollywood Reporter finds only one tone, a glum one, and IndieWire calls it handsome but shallow. ## Radio Times — Louise Griffin Rating 4/5. 2 May 2024. Apple TV+’s Dark Matter is a gloriously faithful and thrilling adaptation that carves out eight hours worth watching immediately. Edgerton’s performance as multiple versions of Jason Dessen is standout, making each distinct while the story’s heart as a love story elevates the parallel-worlds concept. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/dark-matter-review-apple-tv/) ## Empire — James Dyer Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 May 2024. The series is an engaging, accessible trans-dimensional thriller that maintains Apple’s status as the home of thoughtful sci-fi. It balances high-concept science fiction, introspective drama and quantum physics exploration, though the nine-episode length occasionally shows some bloat. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/dark-matter/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 71/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2024. The critic finds the multiverse premise fascinating and praises the distinct yet related performances by Joel Edgerton as the two Jasons, along with the domestic thriller and sci-fi elements. They complain that the nine-episode length stretches the story with wheelspinning and longueurs, making it feel too long. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/may/08/dark-matter-review-joel-edgerton-abducts-himself-in-fun-multiverse-thriller) ## The AV Club — Tom Philip Rating B-. 7 May 2024. The series delivers a strong cast and intriguing high-concept sci-fi ideas that help overcome early storytelling flaws and repetitive elements, ultimately landing a satisfying finale despite some clunky exposition. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/dark-matter-review-apple-tv-plus-joel-edgerton-sci-fi-1851453186) ## The Telegraph Rating 3/5. 8 May 2024. The critic calls the series baggy but intriguing sci-fi with a head-scratching multiverse premise full of dramatic possibility. They single out the nine episodes as suffering from multiple episode syndrome, feeling too many and turning the plot into a game of Whac-a-Mole. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2024/05/08/dark-matter-apple-tv-review-joel-edgerton-jennifer-connelly/) ## Variety — Aramide Tinubu Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2024. The series is a massive intricate puzzle that is shocking and unsettling but doesn’t quite satisfy in the end. Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly keep the overly elaborate sci-fi thriller from collapsing, though it could have been more thrilling with less extensive explanation. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/tv/reviews/dark-matter-review-joel-edgerton-1235995052/) ## IndieWire — Ben Travers Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2024. The critic finds the Apple TV+ series handsome but ultimately shallow, with scenic Chicago locations and a solemn Joel Edgerton performance unable to fully salvage the adaptation of Blake Crouch's novel about a father reconsidering his life choices. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/dark-matter-review-apple-tv-series-bad-sad-dad-1235001576/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Daniel Fienberg Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 7 May 2024. Apple TV+’s relentlessly glum take offers lots of ideas but only one tone, turning a concept like It’s a Wonderful Life into dejection and self-seriousness. It lacks tonal variation despite ingenuity in the later hours, ultimately feeling like an unrelenting dirge. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/dark-matter-review-joel-edgerton-jennifer-connelly-apple-tv-1235888892/) ## /Film — Jeremy Mathai Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 July 2024. The critic praises the series as the best sci-fi in years for its fresh take on multiverse themes, focusing on existential regrets and paths not taken rather than superhero tropes. It singles out the strong handling of fundamental appeals like righting past wrongs without talking down to audiences. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1614678/apple-dark-matter-best-sci-fi-series/) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Rating 7/10. 2 May 2024. The critic calls it a solid but occasionally padded adaptation that shines in its multiverse exploration and thematic depth about life's diverging paths, with strong performances from Edgerton and Braga. It notes some additions and effects drag it down compared to the tighter source novel but still delivers thoughtful ideas. [Read the review](https://collider.com/dark-matter-apple-tv-review/) ## Den of Geek — Sam Stone Rating 3/5. 8 May 2024. Dark Matter stands out for its brisk pacing, strong ensemble performances especially Joel Edgerton's dual role, and accessible thriller approach to the parallel-universe premise, though it remains somewhat familiar within Apple TV+'s lineup of sci-fi thrillers. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/dark-matter-review-apple-tvs-next-constellation/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/dark-matter.md