Skip to content

DARK MATTER: SEASON ONE

Written By:

Kieron Moore
dark-matter-2

What with all the superheroes/zombies flying/shuffling their way around our TV screens, there’s not a lot of space sci-fi at the moment. Those missing the days of Firefly and Battlestar Galactica may want to check out Dark Matter, from Stargate writers Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie.

It’s a neatly simple concept: six people wake up on a spaceship. They’ve all lost their memories and their shoes. They find the shoes pretty quickly, and soon after discover that they’re a mercenary crew composed of wanted criminals. Yet many secrets are left to be unveiled, not least who was behind the memory wipe…

These six characters name themselves after the order they emerged from stasis (One, Two, Three, etc… you’ve seen Sesame Street, you know how this works), which fits in nicely with how they’re basically a list of sci-fi clichés. There’s the gun-toting, selfish tough guy, the quirky, vulnerable kid with genius computer skills, the silent Japanese warrior who’s an expert at swordplay. It is nice, however, that it’s a female character, Two, who ends up in charge of the gang and who often gets to kick ass and save the day.

As the series progresses, the team take various mercenary jobs (gotta pay the rent) in between following up leads related to their forgotten pasts. Like the characters, several plots lack originality – a derelict infected by a zombie virus, a spacewalk to repair the ship, a suspiciously helpful ‘entertainment’ robot – and so this season, particularly in the first half, can feel like a slog. It doesn’t help that the interaction between the team is terribly clunky – attempts at Joss Whedon-style wit fall flat 95% of the time, and the less said about the unbelievably cringeworthy romantic subplot the better.

But behind all the tropes, there is something interesting fighting to get out, and Dark Matter improves towards the season’s end, as darker secrets threaten to tear the team apart. The fact that one crew member wiped everyone’s memory looms large, and just when you think you can trust someone, a new revelation makes you not so sure. The final episodes bring to the fore every underlying conflict, and Dark Matter becomes a Reservoir Dogs-esque edgy whodunit, in space. This is made more intriguing by their differing views on whether the crimes committed in their past lives should define who they are after the clean slate granted by their lost memory.

At its worst, Dark Matter is a clunky, unoriginal mess. At its best, it’s a tense thriller of trust and deceit. If space sci-fi fans can put up with the bad bits, the good bits may just be good enough to fill up this gap in the market.

Extras: BTS Featurettes

DARK MATTER: SEASON ONE / CERT: 15 / CREATED BY: JOSEPH MALLOZZI, PAUL MULLIE / DIRECTOR: VARIOUS / STARRING: MARC BENDAVID, MELISSA O’NEIL, ANTHONY LEMKE, ALEX MALLARI JR., JODELLE FERLAND, ROGER R. CROSS / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 12TH 

 

Kieron Moore

You May Also Like...

chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More
colin farrell returns as oswald cobblepot in the penguin series trailer

Colin Farrell Returns In THE PENGUIN Trailer

Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max series The Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film
Read More