New Apple TV+ Sci-Fi Hit is Finally Out, But Fans Already Hate It Despite 77% Tomatometer

Apple TV+ is establishing itself as the main provider of sci-fi series. While its most successful entry in the genre, Severance, is still in post-production, the studio has treated audiences to another incredible story. Dark Matter had all the ingredients for success–- a star-studded cast and the creator of the original bestselling novel as showrunner.

What is Dark Matter About?

A talented physicist who gave up his scientific research for the sake of his family is kidnapped by an unknown person. When Jason comes to his feelings, he sees a crowd of strangers congratulating him on his successful return.

The man realizes that he has found himself in an alternate reality and is now forced to play the role of someone else in order to find his way home.

Dark Matter’s Showrunner is The Original Book Writer (But It Doesn’t Help)

The author, Blake Crouch, who made a name for himself with the Wayward Pines Trilogy, takes on the task of adapting the text of Dark Matter himself. So far, two episodes have been released, and Crouch does not dare to make any changes to his own brainchild, reproducing each written dialogue almost letter by letter.

And this does not play into the show's hands. Despite a rather high rating of 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, many fans claim that Dark Matter hasn't deserved the attention it has received so far. The main complaint of viewers who have read the book is that the original source itself is not an extensive work, and according to many, this story should have been shown in the format of a full-length movie.

So far, the action in the series seems deliberately drawn out, and dialogue that seemed appropriate in the book format seems unnatural and awkward on screen.

“I have no idea how they can fill out 8-10 episodes worth of TV for this book. It didn’t even take that long to read it. This would have been great as a 90-100 minute movie.” Reddit user dmick74 wrote.

Dark Matter Was Supposed to Become a Movie

And the fans are not far off the mark with their comments. The original plan was to make a movie out of Blake Crouch's book, but then the strategy was changed and Black Matter was turned into a series of nine hour episodes. The first episode even makes you rejoice for this approach: the authors tell two stories at once, switching between worlds.

But already in the second episode it seems more and more as if the timing of the story is deliberately stretched for the sake of the Apple TV+ format. Jason's long explanations to Daniela, Amanda and everyone else he meets start to get tiresome.

Everybody understands which version of Jason follows which morals, it is clear what exactly each character is looking for. In some scenes almost nothing happens for several minutes: the characters can just relax at home and this has absolutely no effect on the plot.

Dark Matter Episode 3 Release Date

However, Dark Matter still has time to pick up the pace, as there are still seven episodes to go. And the third episode, called The Box, will be released on Apple TV+ on May 15.