Dark Matter: Season 1 (BLU-RAY Review)

From Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie, the authors behind the Stargate series, and the studio that brought you Lost Girl, comes Dark Matter, an intergalactic story of strangers chasing their pasts towards an uncertain future. Buried in the black murk of space, a stowed-away crew suddenly awakens from stasis aboard the castaway space ship known as the “Raza.” With no memory of their pasts or why they are onboard in the first place, this rag-tag crew has no choice but to roam the frontiers of the galaxy searching for answers. On their voyage they encounter rebel space armies, a zombiefied ship crew, derelict androids, and intergalactic bounty hunters—all attempting to pull the team further from the truth. Even the Raza itself contains mysteries that the crew must solve. As they journey through space, these seven strangers begin to discover that the biggest obstacle standing in the way of their pasts may not be the danger waiting around every corner, but the darkness lurking within themselves.

I honestly did not know what to expect when I put Dark Matters in. I heard from friends that this is one of the best shows on SyFy. After binge watching the entire series I definitely will agree. Dark Matters is one of the best shows on SyFy right now. Once the show started I couldn't put it down. From the opening scene where our six main characters come out of their statis pods only to find out that their memories are gone I was hooked. What makes Dark Matters work isn't the action, it isn't the Sci-Fi elements, it's the characters, the mystery and the overall story. Here you have six people with no clue who they are and what happen to them and they have to work as a unit in order to survive. One thing the story does well is giving each character a chance to shine. As the episodes move along I felt a genuine attachment to these characters. I was really attach to the characters named 3 and 5 played by Anthony Lemke and Jodelle Ferland. I think three (Lemke) had one of the best arcs. He comes off as an asshole but deep down he cares for the group. As the episode get deeper his layers are pulled back. You discover that he truly is a good man and one heartbreaking moment with someone from his past really made him my favorite character. The show really hits all the right notes when it comes to tone and pacing. It knows when to be serious, when to be funny and knows when to bring the action. I didn't get bored once watching this. Usually the Sci-Fi genre doesn't grab me but this one with its characters did.

If I have any gripes with the show is somethings were predictable. The big twist at the end was telegraph in episode 8 if you paid attention. The action while good didn't really standout as other shows but you can probably thank the budget for that. Some of the one casting outside of the main cast was not that great. Thankfully those characters were one offs. I will say that the acting is good. Melissa O'Neil plays number two really commands the screen as this tough no nonsense leader. Her character is surrounded in mystery the most but when it's reveal she plays that role well. Overall Dark Matter is a great show that surprised me. I know I will definitely be glued for Season 2 come July 1st. As far as the Blu-Ray goes it's a little disappointing not see any special features like behind the scenes, interviews would have been nice. Other than that this is a series you need to watch.

Final Score: 4.5/5 Stars