Not technological, not logical. For lovers to look for meaning where it is not always found.
Of the huge number of such series, this, of course, is not the best, both in terms of technology and logic. Even from the first shots, you can determine that the film is not Hollywood. Not the scale and scale of the shooting, not the level of computer graphics and a completely different director-actor environment. Everything looks a little artisanal, as if in an old Soviet science fiction film, where the picture was formed by the power of the imagination of the viewer, replete with conventions. Almost all three seasons, the series takes place in internal pavilion locations (spaceships, intergalactic stations, hangars, warehouses, palaces...) without full-scale shooting. And, if they happen, they do not contain landscapes that would be any different from the earth’s conditions! It is rather boring, as well as the fact that among the many habitable planets in the universe there was not one where civilization would be realized not by humanoids, nay, not by Homo sapiens! So, humanity has settled in the universe, but for 600 years (and the action takes place somewhere in the year 2600) has not found any other form of life? Although the finale of the third season leaves hope that the franchise will continue with contact with something very, very strange.
The plot implementation looks unoriginal - wandering around the universe wanderers (almost pirates), committing either feats or crimes. Adventures are heterogeneous: exciting stories, played in the best traditions of the genre, coexist with frankly weak, condo, ' wood sketches'. However, at some point the content of the picture acquires a certain moral background, with a touch of tolerance, a pinch of ethics and psychology of public consciousness, and the role of progress in the political structure of the world! It should be noted that politics, in general, often comes to the fore in the series (which is not bad), but the language in which communication with the viewer occurs is too simplistic (which greatly discolors the palette). Of course, there is a revolutionary element in the story! All these greedy corporate megastructures, colonies fighting for independence, the merging of business with political power, tyrants on thrones and peoples throwing their yoke deserve a separate positive assessment! This is rather a return to the origins of fiction, to the days when social issues occupied the lion’s share of the plot lines of such films!
It turned out, in principle, a rather positive practical demonstration of the moral growth of imperfect characters to the level of glorification in the final moral norms. Naturally, looking at the events in the picture, you focus on the interpretation of the Philosophy of Good & #39; and its implementation in conditions close to chaos of consciousness (actually - the collapse of the familiar world). I would also mention how a curious offshoot in the plot is balancing on the edge of a critical singularity, again generating a revolutionary thought, only now in artificial intelligence! A priori - the rudiments of the struggle of androids for their rights.
In short, the project is not as simple and superficial as it might seem at first. It does not look perfect, colorful or historical, but has absolutely clear reasons to recommend it to people who are able to find a grain of golden sand in the thickness of allotments and the work of their own intellect (painful work) to collect a handful of precious material!
The low-budget fantasy series is slicked in the form of gum. At the beginning of the season, we chew on the intrigue of the end of last season, then by anything we wait until the end of the season to roll out a new intrigue in the last series and warm up interest for the next season. But apparently on the third season the number has not passed and the series was closed. I strongly support the game, which began to show in the third season is extremely harmful to the human brain. It has almost come to same-sex marriages between androids and recognition of their rights. You guys are giving me... And a pity, the idea of starting a series, even with a low budget, can be turned into a completely watchable film. And if in the first season still somehow you could believe in the intrigue of distrust between the main characters. Then for the second season there is no intrigue left and part of the series just fall out of the plot line, and in the third season falls most of the season. And I have a feeling that season three was brought to an end only because the scene shown in the last seconds had already been paid for. Otherwise, it should have been closed much sooner. Because the timing of calls on the radio to the bridge and walking along the corridors has reached almost 20% of the time.
In the end, the first season is watchable, there is an intrigue of memory loss and mistrust. The second season has a few twists and turns, but there is almost no intrigue. More for lovers of palace coups. Well, in the third season, in my opinion, it is worth watching, literally, the first few episodes because some kind of thrash is going on. The characters seem to be different, but the depths and drama do not show their play. The overall result is 5 out of 10 maximum, and even then in tribute to the genre.
A great adventure series about a gang of mercenaries traveling in space, and here's why.
Plot. On board the ship "Raza" wake up from suspended animation six crew members, not remembering who they are. Very intriguing, though not original, beginning. This is actually the main idea of the series. In each new episode, the viewer will learn something new and frightening about each hero. For convenience, they called themselves ordinal names upon awakening. But the plot is not limited to that. In addition to the main leit of the motive - the past of our heroes, the main line will also be the brewing war of corporations.
Musical accompaniment is very standard and is not remembered for this kind of series.
Special effects and scenery look quite old by today's standards, but there are connoisseurs of this kind of picture. Personally, I really liked everything, and all because the scenery of the series is ideal for the genre in which it was shot. “Dark Matter” is not science fiction at all, it is only a ground for adventure. The main genre here is a thriller mixed with elements of detective and a lot of intrigue. The entourage of the ship, space stations and colonies is quite gloomy and empty. Cold metal, and the manufacturability of the surrounding world create a suitable mood. In some places, the picture of “Dark Matter” even resembles “Lex” or the movie “Screamers”, there is some such doom.
The cast is very weak, but with his simple task, he copes poorly. I would like to single out only Jodel Ferland, her character Fifth is quite cute, while a strong and intelligent girl who at some point will become a bonding solution for the crew of Raza. In general, watching the evolution of all the relationships of the main characters will be interesting and even pleasant.
Humor is not enough, but it takes quality. The irony of high-level situations. Phantom-class marauder pilot pedaling a children's bicycle It is a pity that there are not many such moments in the series.
Of the obvious minuss as usual gay propaganda, but surprisingly in this series it is minimal. Although if the project received a continuation for the fourth season, I am sure that the viewer would not get away so easily and there are clear hints in the third season. Another significant disadvantage is the staging of most fights and shootouts, they are not dynamic and dangerous. Well, to a heap of standard hacks of everything and everything in a couple of minutes, wonderful rescues, lame drama and a couple of illogicalities in the plot.
Result. The series turned out to be very exciting, which is just the end of the first series. It clings and immediately, looks easy and in my case a volley. The plot moves are exciting, a lot of intrigue, betrayal, skeletons in the closet, setting up from corporations and unique discoveries. A time machine, an alien life form, the rise of artificial intelligence and much more await the viewer for three seasons as elements of fiction. But let me remind you again that the main thing in the series is the crew of Raza, its past, future and present. There’s also a sense of realism in the details, whether it’s a dark, dark cosmos or a betrayal of friends for a debt to their homeland. Definitely to watch.
I have already observed a total divergence of PR, official rating and internal reaction to paintings.
And, damn, that's good!
It pleases when suddenly, suddenly, without much hope and expectation you suddenly stumble upon something that brings pleasure, unlost interest and joy from viewing.
And it seems that it is not trillions of money mastered by the authors, but at the same time you clearly understand that if the dynamic development of the twisted plot persists for almost three seasons, then... maybe happiness is not in the budget.
I was objectively hit by heroes. Just like they are. The directness of their communication with each other and themselves impresses and outweighs the seemingly standard set of player types. (Maybe that’s not the type of happiness?) . . )
- What do you do, who do you work? — ask the inhabitants of a small earth town suddenly found themselves on this planet 600 years ago team.
- We're mercenaries. They answer honestly and simply. Import-export. More imports.
All over the world.
Every man for himself. Everyone seeks and keeps their secrets. Everyone is faced with the choice to succumb to the temptation and surrender the team, or take a step towards a new format for their old - friendship.
Android is just a great job of an actress and screenwriter.
At first amusing in her reactions, she gradually acquires the depth and complexity of the world of human feelings. Having gone a long way from wanting to be like a person to choosing to be who she is. And that's respectful.
Not respectable only dishonest choice to close the series.
With so many open event lines.
These people’s programs clearly require a system reboot.
- Two invasions (black ships and the colonization of the planet by creatures)
- Two double teams in parallel worlds
- Sister Fifth
- Daughter Two.
- Android Rebellion
Sarah's mission in a new body
And that's not all listed yet.
I will be watching the series again. Until I meet a good analogue of the guys from Dark Matter.
9 out of 10
I had a good movie. Nothing special, but before bed you can see.
I read reviews: people pay attention to how actors play, for what money and how well the scenery was made, logical inconsistencies in the scripts, the plausibility of what is happening.
And I want to ask the question: people, what do you see? Why is TV called a zombie box? Do you know that cinematography shapes culture? What is hidden advertising?
And it’s not about how well the special effects are made or how much money was spent on making the film. It is about the ideas that are embedded in the plot.
And in this series, a very positive attitude towards transhumanism and artificial intelligence is very clearly noticeable. A bright future in advanced technologies.
The beloved of the Third (Buna) dies and her consciousness is transferred to virtual reality. The third goes to visit her there, they love each other. Then, when it is possible for a woman to create a physical body and transfer her “consciousness” there.
Androids are treated like people – show friendly relations with them, empathy, support, etc. The relationship between androids is shown as between people - they help each other out, love each other, make friends with each other (like people).
That is, everything seems to be nothing – the human body is also a kind of mechanism. In the machine you can copy the “cast” of worldview and worldview, moral standards and way of thinking. But a living organism differs from a machine in that it has a biofield, a soul. And no matter how high-tech and thoughtful the “iron” and software in the car is, it will be just an imitation of a person, human diversity.
Also, for example, there is noosphere, egregors. A person can consciously choose which egregors to connect to in accordance with the information-algorithmic content of his consciousness. Conscience is an innate religious feeling through which a person determines what is good and what is evil. Guided by this feeling, he makes decisions in each specific situation. The machine can only simulate this by performing the algorithm of the program.
In principle, people are already programmed by culture and upbringing, but a person can begin to realize and change this, move towards humanity, listening to conscience, living in dialogue with God.
The machine, even if it qualitatively copy the information-algorithmic stuffing of a living person, will still execute the program. And the work of the program will always be sharpened for certain purposes. The programmers will do it. And the result of their work directly depends on the morality and ethics of programmers and their managers. And in the conditions of the crowd-elitarian system and the biblical concept, this will be used for the selfish benefit of the elite.
With the idea in mind:
It seemed to me that the days when fiction was forgiven cardboard characters, kindergarten scripts, the same dialogue, complete inattention to technical details and scientific nonsense. According to Black Matter, I was wrong.
Characters are not cardboard. They are archetypal: Drachun, Silent (Sinister), Sticky (Good), Good Guy, Baba-S-Eggs and Strange Child. A deck of Tarot cards. They act in the same archetypal way: A good guy is constantly trying to make the right decisions and generally be sweet. The silent person is mostly silent, but sometimes gives out sinister phrases with the general message “I can kill you all, but it is not profitable for me yet.” Strange child, of course, to film strange dreams. Poor fellow, by the way. I’m talking about the actress who played the role. After the girls from Silent Hill and Tideland, she seems destined to play such roles until retirement. I'm sorry. Sincerely.
Ah! There's an android. It's also an archetype. Plastic movements and speech speed is slightly higher than that of the robot Werther, but they are close relatives. It's probably so that viewers don't accidentally forget that he's an Android, and because it's so fantastic. How should an android talk? Like a pot. How do you move? Like a pot. We haven’t seen “Blade Runner” yet.
From Android we move on to technical details. It's hard. The creators of the series, it seems, have never used a microwave. They work by candlelight. The only thing they know about spaceships is that they fly in space. That's it. Therefore, important nodes of the serial ship are located directly on its skin. To fix them, you need to go into outer space, open the shield and snap switches with green light bulbs (this is all, I recall, in space). Only punch cards for the onboard computer are missing.
The scenery is tough, too. No, I get it, microbudget series, no money. But a little bit of mind and imagination could be shown. The ship itself looks a little more fun than the cube in the film of the same name, also of Canadian origin. The interiors of another ship were filmed in the hold of a sea steamer - fire hoses, pressure gauges and valves constantly climbed into the frame. On a planet with a small colony of miners, the action somehow takes place in abandoned industrial workshops. Well, such decors in almost every frame. I will not talk about furniture, tools and clothes.
Now for plot moves. They're great on the show. Here is an example: “I’m going to kill you all now!” (viewers froze in fright) “You don’t have bullets!” (viewers are puzzled) “How is that?” - There you go. You acted suspiciously, and I pulled them out" (viewers amazed) "Damn! I give up! (viewers delighted). But a brief summary of one of the series: moored to the ship, which suffered an accident, and there ... zombies.
To mock "Dark Matter" can be endless. The authors of the positive reviews put pressure on the fact that the budget is small. That's no excuse. If there is no money for scenery, costumes and special effects, then you need to take the viewer with an idea, plot, drama. But the series has neither one nor the other nor the third. It's a boring ridiculous thing. The show is from the 80s.
Summary
For very undemanding and devoted fans of space fiction. It will also be for kids.
I may be in the minority, but in modern cinema it is often depressing that there is no meaning or message. So, with the series 'Dark Matter' it turned out exactly the same. This is the main thing that distinguishes this series from 'Firefly' and other low-budget space operas. Some kind of shooter in space. The main characters think little about the ethics of their actions. Killed someone because of them - even talk about it is not conducted, think.
Who watched 'Star track' - there literally every series leads to some conclusions, considers some universal ethical problems. Here - running, martial arts, shooting and emptiness, including - in the head of the main characters. The acting isn't impressive either. It is very difficult to watch a series when no character is cute.
But the main claims are to the script. On the same material, it was possible to make a much better product with a greater, so to speak, artistic value. But alas.
Initially, Joseph Mallosey and Paul Mooley tried to promote the script of their project on television and, having been refused, created a graphic novel based on it - in simple words, a comic book. After Dark Horse, the third largest and rated publisher after Marvel and DC, became interested in the work, the project received the green light and settled on the SyFy channel suitable for it.
The plot revolves around six crew members who have emerged from stasis completely without memory, on an unknown and badly damaged ship. Not knowing their own names, the characters take instead the numbers in which they wake up: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth. Now they have to explore the ship, along the way revealing the secrets of not only the spacecraft, but also their own unique experience, skills and past. To help them in this will be a woman android found on the ship.
Intrigue is the first and most important thing that catches the eye and distinguishes this project from hundreds of Canadian space operas that have come out over the past couple of decades. Heroes don’t know who they are and even when they gradually discover some aspects of their past, it doesn’t matter to them, people living in the present and able to change their own lives. They will meet characters who know a lot about them. In addition, various situations and conflicts will largely depend on the past and present of the main characters, modeling their behavior, reaction and a new worldview. And the presence of weapons capable of radically changing the balance of forces in the universe increases the severity. The whole first and part of the second season, the main strength of the script goes to the project. Dimensional dynamics and gloomy atmosphere add color and identity. But, by the second half of the second season and the entire third, the scriptwriters do not hold back and add a lot of new details and plot branches, dispelling the viewer’s attention and distracting from the main storyline: time travel, clones from the parallel world, becoming human androids, mind games, cybernetic experimental soldiers, aliens and so on from the classic baggage of world space operas, turning the series with great potential into one of them.
Acting at the level of a small screen. Not bad, but it won't make it to the Oscars. Most of the cast has extensive experience in TV series and often the actors were engaged in the same projects. The characters are bright and charismatic. But drama is not in the foreground, so the game is not as important. Special effects are also at the level of standard space operas, so do not expect something epic from the visual component of the project. The creators of special effects often can not decide: the gunshot in the series shoots rays or bullets - both options alternate from series to series.
To conclude, Dark Matter was shut down after season three by SyFy in its classic fashion: fast and uncompromising. In this case, it is for the good.
+: Main story, cast.
-: Scenario work that sentenced a promising project.
Dark matter is something new and unifying all the best!
"Dark Matter" is an incredible series! What series do you remember, which after watching the first seconds: so interesting, so addictive, so tense, so chic that you just know - this is what you need. Friends from the first seconds, but we are not trying to delve into the first five of the series as for example with Killjoys (I will conduct a little comparison of these series), but instantly.
The next point is the genius in my opinion of names 1-6 in the order of awakening (this is something new and unusual), although over time the characters will recognize their real names, but continue to remain and call each other 1-6 numbers.
Next is the story of the heroes in which you try to delve into and unravel, because the characters do not remember anything about themselves after amnesia and for a very long time they learn the truth and their past.
We go on - all 6 characters are completely different, although it is probably correct to say 7 characters (don't forget Android), each is peculiar, wayward and inclined to change a little during the series - the selection is simply chic. By the way, the temporary characters and characters they have to face are very interesting and original. This is not “Killjoys” with almost monotonous and calm 3 characters. Every hero ' Dark Matter' plays from good to genius (this is of course the role of Android), everyone is calm or hot-tempered, and everyone is unpredictable. Everyone has their own skills, habits and opportunities, which are clearly determined by training, skills, characteristics, life.
If the 2nd and 4th can fight chicly, then this is clearly plotted and understandable, not like in Killjoys when a girl with a maximum weight of 50 kilos throws 10 big guys explaining it with good training.
The series has absorbed the best from science fiction - yes ' Dark Matter' similar to many chic TV series, movies and games, it feels like taking the most interesting of all of them and shoved here, and this is: "Firefly", "Stargate", "Groundhog Day", "Edge of the Future", "Star Wars", "Back to the Future" and yes "Mass Effect".
Summing up, we have received a series that will allow you to recall many events and plots from all of the above-mentioned figures, series, games, but reworked under ' Dark Matter'. All series of 3 seasons are very interesting and each series with a twist, plus for 3 seasons the interest of the series only grows without thinking to fall. It is in Killjoys that you have to watch the first 5 episodes of nudity through the force to get involved a little in the series.
By the way, sometimes on the Internet I see that there may be an idea about how the team of Raza and probably can be called Lucy “Killjoys” will meet – I don’t even know how many these 3 scoundrels were shot, probably a second for each, although Raza’s team seems to be correcting – it’s not better to let them shoot.
For the first time I saw the series on TV, I decided to watch it.
I must say, the first episodes were not impressed: the twilight background, stamped characters, simple scenery ... but the finale of the first episode intrigued, began to look further. And the further into the forest, the more evil the wolves are. I watched two seasons in a row and have no regrets. The series is very good.
First of all, it should be noted the departure from the usual and so tired canons: the heroes are far from being soft and fluffy, saving the world and, on the way, everyone and everything. No, nothing like that. They only save themselves. And if anyone else, it's just for the occasion. And they act harshly, if not cruelly, not knowing the villain or not, contrary to all the standards of the good guys. Like in life.
The second thing that impressed me was the unpredictability of the story. It's usually pretty easy to figure out how it's going to end, but not in this case. Personally, I always expected something different.
The third is dynamism, the cat is not pulled by the tail. No passing episodes. And if something is revealed, then it is revealed and does not generate a few more secrets, as is usually the case.
Surprised by the unusually small number of astrophysical blunders, which in the production of this genre is usually as much as you like. There are, but there are few. Then I looked at the list of creators, everything became clear. If there's Amanda Tupping, who studied astrophysics for Stargate, it's no surprise.
As for acting, it is quite standard for a television series. Not bad, but not brilliant. Only Zoe Palmer was impressed as Android. However, the cast half consists of little-known, if not beginners, actors, but maybe this is even for the best.
About humor, dialogue and voiceover in general. In my opinion, everything is quite high for a space opera. But a lot depends on translation, and they are very different. For example, in this series, the translation from Lost is better than from Sci-Fi. Of course, it is best to evaluate the original, but for this you need to master the language to perfection, and not at the level of philology.
To sum up, I recommend you watch. But those who want space battles, bright special effects, impressive scenery and tons of computer graphics are not worth watching. It's not there.
I note that the second season is noticeably better than the first - a rarity for television series in general. No wonder there will be a third. If it's the same style, it won't stop there.
It's an amazing show. Fiction, space, adventure – all this captures the viewer from the very first series, and when the last episode of the second season ended, I immediately ran to look for the third. There is no exact date yet, but the creators promised a continuation in 2017, and I will definitely watch it.
This series is light and interesting. When you watch it, you do not feel any strong emotions, you do not try to follow every intricacy of the plot. The dark matter viewer is just having fun. First of all, perhaps, thanks to the excellent characters and actors who played them perfectly. Canadian TV series are generally distinguished by cool actors. Lexx, her name was Nikita - a simple plot, but an amazing atmosphere and first-class actors. So in Dark Matter – all the characters are alive and interesting, you do not want to part with them. They are like a good, warm, soulful company.
Dark matter is shot in the best traditions of the genre, such as Lexx and Farscape, with the only difference that there are no aliens here - all the characters are either human or androids. The spacecraft traverses space, from planet to planet, and the crew tries to fight off numerous enemies without killing each other. Yes, again, the plot, if you look closely, is simple. But how fun and exciting it was filmed! The series is quite simple and visually. There are some beautifully painted space stations, but 90 percent of the action takes place in the scenery of Raza, the main characters' spacecraft. The action is based on several extremely interesting "chips" - amnesia of heroes and war between corporations. It is possible to make each series fresh and lively for two seasons. And, of course, due to the main intrigue - to unravel the dark matter of the past of each of the characters.
I almost missed this good series because of reviews about its bad special effects.
Well, you know, I want to tell you, some people are spoiled, I do not venture to add - they are full of food. Something wretched special effects does not prevent anyone from "Firefly" ten times a year to review! Previously, a space ship on a black background will draw, three stars will stick in the sky - and everyone is happy, now we find fault with the decor of a Canadian TV movie. Yes, indeed, everything is very simple, modest, and the script is not new, but you can watch!
Well, what good would you ask? And I'll tell you:
First, the series has a pronounced central, storyline. That is, there are no passing, hastily made series, just to score a season of 22 episodes. The action is very positive;
Secondly, the plots may not be original, but loved, and in a new wrapper and interpretation, they are quite good to revise. The actors are cute, play normally, sometimes even perfectly.
And finally, thirdly, a lot of TV shows start out promisingly, but they quickly slip into the unknown. Here, on the contrary. It all starts quite banal, but gradually develops into a quite decent show. And yes, the special effects in the second season are much better!
And if you don’t like it, I suggest you go look for original, coolly made TV movies in the genre of space fiction. They are so “frequently and a lot” removed! Now Spielberg and Lucas for the small screen specially for you to draw.
... Just out of curiosity, I gave 5 minutes to a TV series. An hour later, he lay wrapped in a blanket, with hot tea in one hand and a tablet in the other. A hellish mix of "At the Edge of the Universe," "Firefly," all of Stargate and the rest of lamp fiction. Filmed everything as if the series “put on the shelf” for 10 years and suddenly launched – now it is not removed, many plot moves have already become a classic cliché, special effects at best at the level of Star Wars 1977. But it works! Like the ship they fly, the series is full of holes and patches. But these holes are appropriate to compare with the holes on your favorite home sweater - they may be holes, but they are on your favorite sweater.
If “At the Edge of the Universe” and “Firefly” are not new to you, you can safely start watching, formally, these are the same series in a new wrapper. And there is no sense of repetition when watching, it is rather as if the characters of one of the series flew to another part of the cosmos and began to master there.
In the plot plan, "Dark Matter" often rides a roller coaster, but has some very good strings (by the end of the second season) and if desired, they can be interesting to develop. In fact, the whole plot of the second season brings the series to the line, overcoming which you can be in another "weight category" - the series has a scripted future. I’m really looking forward to the third season.
The second important thing in fiction after the plot is characters and actors. Very, very successfully picked up Android and the bitch from Mickey Corporation. Each appearance on the screen is smearing the viewer with jam. They were a revelation to me, and to the lady from Mickey I would personally give some gold statuette for a supporting role. These are two almost perfect characters as members of their class. But the rest of the characters did not disappoint. There are some roughnesses, but in general the selection of actors is pleased.
So what do we end up with? The rebirth of old, good series (alas, already closed) in a new form. Space is so big... It has room for everyone. And the creators of the series are trying to find their corner of the universe and equip their heroes there. If you also sometimes want to get lost in the depths of space, then I recommend watching.
7 out of 10
Many people evaluate the series as a fantastic action or action movie and expect special effects at the level of “Avengers”. The series "Dark Matter" is, first of all, a thriller (I would even say a detective), then a drama, and only finally - fiction. It has only become a necessary condition for unfolding actions, for giving effect and scale, for the field to turn around. Think about it: what if we put characters in the middle of a desert in a locked bunker on Earth? There's a movie like that, by the way. In it, all participants solved their identities in less than 2 hours. How was it? I’m not even going to tell you the name, I’m going to save the eyes and ears of my readers. (If you still found or guessed what I mean - I recommend that you stock up on a jar of Vaseline and a fire hose before viewing.)
We will evaluate the series as a thriller for the above reasons.
And it's hard for me to find fault here personally. Ideas are 100% implemented: survival in harsh conditions, reflection, reassessment of values, the importance of trust, honor and honesty, the philosophy of rational and emotional thinking and many others.
The plot seems to me ancient and sullen, like a mammoth tetris. A group of people woke up with no memory of who they were and what they were doing here. The search for answers and traitors begins. But the dust has been shaken from it so qualitatively, this old blade has been sharpened to shine so much that I can not help but give in to emotions and say that it has breathed new life into it.
There are also plenty of mysteries in the picture: apart from the obvious problem of identifying personalities, we have nothing obvious about the history of the ship, nor about its contents, nor about the universe, time of action, neither about enemies nor about allies. The viewer feels in a completely dark room without windows and doors, with a small, only occasionally flickering flashlight.
Choosing and playing actors: for me, this is probably the biggest drawback. A standard star-striped set of appearance, nationality, temperaments and emotional and facial features. I haven’t seen any of the highlights in the first season. Knight of Honour, cynical joker, kind giant, silent and jujube wise, militant Amazon, gentle young girl. However, I was wrong to think that I understood who was who and what kind of character. The more heroes learn about themselves, the more their views and personalities change. Actors play templates, but adapt to their changing characters, transmitting in the end what they have to convey.
Predictability: One of the main advantages of the series. She's gone. At all. Even if you think it exists. Be patient and watch as many episodes as possible. You will be amazed again and again.
And we have one universally important criterion:
With humor, the situation is ambiguous. At first glance, it's very clichéd. But sometimes slips not so much funny as subtle ironies. Humor is not the most sparkling, but is served in an interesting, non-obvious form. However, it could have been inserted more often. I wish I could laugh more. In short, 6 out of 10.
Last but not least. The picture deserves its biggest plus for the perfect fulfillment of the task of any series and thriller in particular - it does not let its viewer go for a second. I haven’t had this desire to watch more and more in a long time. I don’t even want to stop for cigarettes. And this covers a lot of shortcomings of the picture - the desire to know what will happen next, greatly outweighs and overshadows other thoughts and sensations.
So, is it worth watching the series 'Dark Matter'? - Absolutely, and as far as possible. You will be, at least - satisfied with expectations, and most likely - for a long time and firmly chained to the monitor. Stock up on popcorn and forward, for amazing adventures inside the valiant "Raza" and beyond.
Maximumly unbiased
In general, I am a fan of fiction and fantastic action films. But unfortunately, quality products of this kind are produced quite little. A complex genre, because despite the fictional surroundings and conditions, naturalism must be present in the film. After all, all the beauty in films of this kind in the illusion of reality, when the fantastic seems obvious.
As for the Dark Matters (or in other translations of Dark Matter), after watching the first few episodes, I decided to abandon further viewing. In general, the series is not bad for its niche. Not to say that it is very good, but you can watch fans of the genre. The detective story assumes the invariance of development, and to everything else, a rather nimble action movie is attached. Heroes are not high-class, but as they say, you need to get used to it. But what stopped me was a certain artificiality and retardation, especially in combat scenes. Too graphic and clichéd. Maybe I’m too spoiled, but when it starts, it causes boredom and impatience.
So I’ll be waiting for the second season of Space and hoping for a new full-length series of Riddick’s adventures.
Dark Matter is a surprise series. From the beginning, you just want to turn it off and never turn it on again. There are many reasons for this.
First, SyFy TV channel, which has established itself as a reference manufacturer of serial slag on fantastic topics.
Secondly, the ridiculous budget even for the series is not the first freshness. Cardboard decorations, ridiculous computer graphics, extras of five people. In general, in the first season everything looks like the show was filmed in the garage of showrunners, hastily finished in high-tech style.
Third, the story itself. A banal set of amnesia, anti-scientific nonsense, pronounced with serious faces, heroes-types: a boy-baba, a cynical asshole, a good big guy, a genius girl, a samurai with a katana. More stamped characters are hard to come up with.
And fourthly, the production. Action scenes are made confused and stupid, and special effects came straight from the studio Asylum (well, the same one that copies famous blockbusters and shoots thrash about megasharks and Crocosaurus).
And the stronger the realization that the series, in general, is not just good, but very even. It seems that the studio’s general disregard for this product and the residual funding from the big premieres of the “Expansion” and “Wizards” type simply unleashed the creators’ hands and they began to frankly fool around, gluing unsuitable components into one whole.
The world of Dark Matter is a ridiculous combination of powerful corporatocracy, feudal medieval regimes with swords and emperors, cyberpunk and classical cosmooper. A kind of “petri cup”, where they threw everything and a lot, in the hope that something will be born from this mixture.
All this fierce thrash abundantly seasoned with jokes, charisma, unexpected turns and funny ideas, like “temporary clones”.
And soon, seemingly flat at first, the characters begin to acquire unique character traits, their stories, the “stamped single-cell” plot firmly holds the intrigue and time after time gives out feints with their ears, and the ridiculous world suddenly comes to life and becomes quite logical. And already cease to pay attention to the scenery of garbage and special effects of the early 90s. As a result, the series, which was supposed to be infamously closed after the first season, began to gain high ratings and grow an army of fans.
Apparently, the studio itself was surprised by the unexpected success of the series and for the second season allocated much more funds. Events have gone beyond the ship, now the crew of the “Raza” visits various planets, fighting with even more powerful opponents. The world finally opened up and deepened, and the special effects and scenery became much better (although the level of the same "Expansion" is still far).
And somehow unnoticed, out of a nasty duckling, the show evolved into a swan. Not yet beautiful, but completely going to it.
In fact, to evaluate this series more objectively, you need to do at least two things. First, to try to turn off the brain while watching it — this generally applies to all films on a space theme, because experts in the field of physics probably many things can seem nonsense, and second, to close your eyes to the quality of special effects — no one promised conventional “Star Wars” with its scale, and it would be unfair to demand something like this from this film. Given these two criteria, I think the show should be enjoyed.
So what do we have?
Plot 8\10
Yes, strange as it may seem, in a film on a fantastic theme there is a rather interesting and intriguing plot, keeping in suspense literally to the last second (at least I am talking about the first season). This is certainly not “Expansion” with its cosmo-puzzle-detective history, but also quite good.
Actually, I think one of the ideas of the series was to go from the opposite – contrary to the well-established canons of the “good party” to make the crew of the “Raza” criminals who fell into suspended animation and lost their memory. Actually, the whole film is the story of this crew in the amount of six + one combat units, about how they came to life such, gradually revealing their essence and their mission.
As often happens in such situations (though in fact, of course, less than we would like), one of the employees will be a mole, and for most of the film we will watch the crew members try to find him, blaming each other right and left. In fact, I can say that I did not guess - for me the identity of the mole turned out to be, if not a surprise, then at least a surprise, which already adds to the series an extra point from me personally.
Of course, such a plot does not shine beyond originality, but you will agree that for such series on a fantastic topic, this is a very interesting move.
Game of actors 7\10
It's a little harder here. Almost all actors are little-known, and of course there is a plus in this, but still, I think some actors did not quite fall into their images. For example, “Ninja” throughout most of the film is just silent and walks with one expression, which of course suits his image of quiet, but still, it seems to me, the actor was a little flirting with this image. I would like to see more in his performance.
The rest of the actors, in my opinion, joined quite organically and the “third”, although it seemed to me quite ambiguous, by the end of the season generally comes almost to the fore.
Music and special effects 7\10
Well, I think initially it is unfair to dwell on some mistakes in terms of special effects given the low-budget series, but everything looks quite organic and in general the picture leaves a pleasant impression. I would also like to mention the camera work - we are shown everything that we need to see, and at least blush at the fact that something happened but we were not shown this - for the most part, we do not have to.
To sum up, I would like to recommend the series to all science fiction fans, and I personally liked it much more than the Killjoes series. We can say that the first season was quite interesting, and I look forward to the continuation.
Seeing the new series, and even from the creators of the stargate. I was really hoping for quality fiction.
The first series pleased me and gave me hopes for a worthy series, despite the fact that already in the first series there were logical shortcomings. The idea itself is very interesting. And from people who woke up on board the ship without memory, you expect a little more acting. The script was written in text messages, since the phrases of the characters rarely go beyond one comma.
The second and third series completely disappointed me. The logical flaws are becoming much clearer. Opponents of the main characters resemble stormtroopers from Star Wars. In cardboard armor and blind.
The only thing that makes sense is the android. It is not well written and played.
The vast cosmos. Drifting space crew. Suddenly, one by one, six crew members emerge from stasis. After a short but memorable acquaintance, our heroes realize that they do not remember anything about themselves, not even their name. All heroes are assigned numbers in the order of their awakening. Further, we learn that despite the complete loss of memory, our heroes retain the so-called “muscle memory”: skills and abilities. So, the Second, takes command and becomes the leader of the team, she knows how to control the spacecraft and has the skills of hand-to-hand combat, knows how to manage weapons. The third can also stand up for himself, owns weapons and even gives them names. The fourth knows how to handle cold weapons better than with guns, in a confrontation faster cut off the limb to the enemy than he has time to pull the gun. The fifth, a teenage girl, about fifteen years old, understands technology and a little medicine. The sixth, like the first, have weapons and skills of hand-to-hand combat. On board the spacecraft, the heroes find Android - a biomechanical machine that takes on the functions of a navigator and leads passengers, paving the course of the ship. Who are they? Why were they on this ship? What's their background? And what awaits our six characters, forced to find themselves together, in the same position?
All 13 episodes look in one breath. The plot construction is such that despite the general outline of the narratives, each series is a separate episode, which has a twist, climax and finale. At the same time, with each series, the veil of secrecy of six characters is opened. The audience gradually becomes aware of who is who and what the motives and the root cause are. And that's what I like best. It’s as if you’re reading the most sophisticated detective book, and interest in it increases with every new page.
As for the cast, my attention was focused on Jodell Ferland (Fifth), a young Canadian actress who played in such films as Tideland and, of course, Silent Hill and Roger R. Cross (Sixth), who played Travis Verta in the Continuum. These actors, in my opinion, pull the whole series.
The ratings of the series are high, and as a result, the series was not closed after the first season, but received a continuation. Sci-Fi has ordered another 13 episodes of the second season. From interviews with the creators of the series, it became clear that they have plans for five years ahead. But let’s see if they can make this five-year plan.
For ten.
A catchy name, simultaneously talking about an unknown scientific substance, and about dark deeds; mysterious figures on the poster, illuminated by a mysterious radiance; a daring (though not too original) beginning ...
After the first half of the first series, I paused and started dreaming. Characters do not remember anything, so either someone for some reason erased their memory, or they did it themselves, or it happened by accident (breakdown, all business). Let's say it was purposeful. The ship is going somewhere, so the target was definitely there. Why erase your memory? Probably not to remember something superfluous.
Recalling the boxes with weapons, the figures on the poster, resembling the figures of aliens from the poster of some ' X-Files', and thinking about the name, I had this picture: people discovered the joy of super-light travel, began to colonize the galaxy and then suddenly stumbled upon another race, which also colonizes planets, but apparently not far gone in development. Without thinking twice, the leadership equips a motley team, giving them a bunch of weapons in case diplomatic contact fails, and erases most of the memory in case they are captured and the aliens have thought-reading technology. Oh yes, in order for the negotiations to succeed, a girl is added to the team, in the brain of which, ' hooked' the memory of one of the aliens captured by human spies, so that at least one of the team could speak in their language. That's just along with talking skills transferred a lot of things, because of which the heroine begins to see other people's dreams and think other people's thoughts. And so, our brave heroes act as explorers of an alien race, the enigmatic Dark Matter & #39; essentially acting in the same role that little green men play when flying to Earth in other films and TV shows. I’m sure that the original idea was something like this, because, firstly, it’s more interesting than what happened in the series next, and secondly, when I saw a lot of hints at it, take at least the mention of bloodthirsty aliens in the first series.
But that was it. The author of this idea comes to the producer, lays it out as it is, and the producer says: ' You know, I just watched 'Firefly'... There are no aliens, and people like it. Let's do it better like that?''Okay', said the author of the idea, remade, brings the corrected version to the producer, and he said:'You know, I looked at it 'Stargate: Universe', let's do it like that?' - 'Okay... ' - ' Oh, and I also looked 'Avatar', there everyone needs resources' - '; . . ' ' And we don't have much money. . . '
And so we got what we got: a series suspiciously reminiscent of a bunch of other TV shows and movies, with a small budget and not very exciting through-the-scenes story, despite the constant & #39; WATCHING' and not an impressive performance of actors who themselves are not very captured by the events happening with their characters. With the same success, they could turn the series into a comedy in which the crew of the transporter weaves from one end of the galaxy to the other and out of boredom each series plays out in the form of scenes plots of the NF (and not only) films and TV series of the 80s-90s.
Looking good, but the viewer deserves something more.
5 out of 10
I watched the season of the series, I want to share my impressions. I’m not a fan of space fiction, but! It's been a long time since the first series. The series can be scolded for not very expensive scenery, weak special effects, someone will not even like the acting. Although taking into account, frankly, the small budget is very, very at the level.
Yes, a standard set of characters and skills for the team, but again competently worked out in my opinion in this series. Which is really important to me. I look and believe what I see. Interesting story, with gradually developing events and the disclosure of heroes.
In short, frankly and simply, I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to a sequel that will hopefully be filmed. I don’t want to tell you the story or what’s going on. I just recommend you look. There are no super and super creatures here. People play here, except for the android, although it has the shape of a human. There are no other races. If they increase the budget and find sponsors, they will appear. Lookable and interesting. I suggest you look.
On the spacecraft, flying in autonomous mode somewhere in the middle of the galaxy, there is an emergency awakening of the crew. People manage to take control of the situation, but it turns out that someone partially erased their memory while immersing in suspended animation. Their knowledge and skills remain with them, but they do not remember anything about themselves. They call themselves in the order of awakening – First, Second, Third. So throughout the next series they will try to find out who they are, and along the way involved in all sorts of troubles, which in the world of the future at least get rid of.
Before you decide to use a brand new SyFy channel product, you should set your expectations correctly. If you are waiting for grandiose spectacles, cool special effects, powerful acting and a truly original plot development, you are definitely not here. The small budget is simply glaring. The scenery is frankly poor, there is almost no computer graphics, and the shooting itself was conducted almost exclusively in the twilight, apparently to mask the poverty of the entourage. Actors... They are not that bad, but they are not particularly brilliant. The plot evokes many other series in memory, primarily Firefly, the logic in it often lames, and the action is often slowed down and hangs.
Still, it's not that bad. The process of putting together a group of strangers into a single team is shown quite well. the search for the characters themselves is also curious, after eight episodes I watched, other mysteries remain. Who erased the crew's memory, what else is hidden in the mysterious vault, what kind of secret is the Second keeping? Well, the android in the series is very cute and original, Zoe Palmer perfectly copes with this role.
In short, I’m not into Dark Matter, but I’m definitely going to watch the first season and I’m not going to consider it a waste of time. Given the series’ extremely modest budget, this is an achievement.
After watching five episodes, I hasten to share - the film is increasingly sliding into the likeness of a film for children of primary school age & #39; Xena is the warrior queen & #39; but with a comical entourage. And it’s not about the budget, it’s small, but there are examples of films that did not stop, it’s about the lack of logic, which affects everything else – the relationship of the characters in their actions, ridiculous props, etc. Fantasy with each series, by the way, less and less, and more and more solyak from film stamps pulled by the ears.
In order not to be unfounded, I will give examples:
From the ship in orbit, the heroine tries to communicate with others on the surface of the planet to warn about the danger, but can not - the radio on the ship, and all went to the local bar and the ship is empty. Satellite phones were even in 90, and in the future, apparently, communication technologies have deteriorated.
The heroes learn the corporation’s insidious plan to build a reactor and organize protection. Where? Of course, right next to the reactor, naturally near it, inside the room, and not at least on the approaches to the building.
The hero is hit by static electricity and his heart stops, he is given a heart massage directly through the spacesuit for spacewalking. The spacesuits themselves, especially the air hoses, look extremely ridiculous (hello 50s fantasy!). In general, the entire prop looks borrowed from them 80 at the latest, computers with rusty-eyed interfaces and an abundance of light bulbs, so for sure.
It can take a long time, so I’ll close. A great movie for a schoolboy from the 80s. An adult will be bored to look at the stupid curves of the main characters, modern children will not be impressed by the effects and scenery.
Surprisingly pleased with the series. I watched the first four episodes. Immediately I felt like Firefly and Stargate: the Universe. As a science fiction fan, I liked the series.
Good scenery, special effects, even space combat, “turn on shields”, torpedoes, your shuttle, riddles, unexplored secrets of the ship, unexpected solutions, all this is in the series, only teleportation and aliens are missing. Fans of science fiction like ST and SG.
The characters are also fine. There is also your “beautiful”, “good guy”, “hooligan”, “girl”, “silent”, mysterious android, etc. Characters with each series open up, play well, so I think in this respect everything will be fine.
After four episodes, there was no unpleasant feeling of rejection. I can judge as someone who has watched all seasons of ST, SG, and Firefly. Everything's up. I hope they will not spoil further and turn into dull gatherings with pseudophilosophical arguments about the meaning of life.
8 out of 10
When I came across a series with an unfamiliar name, I asked and it turned out that 3 episodes had already come out and decided to try the series. Immediately noticeably, the cast is not stuffed with rigor and democratic budget, on this occasion, for the beginning, "production Canada" explains something.
The plot gives us the following plot, as a result of an emergency situation on a spacecraft, people on board are withdrawn from stasis. They are quite different, each on the subconscious has retained different skills, but they all have in common that they do not remember who they are and what happened before waking up. The discovered android in the restored bases will find out fragmentary information that they are all crew members with a clear criminal past, with the exception of a young passenger. Soon the first adventures begin.
I must say right away - the first series is deceptive, and it is many times better than the subsequent ones, since then there is a feeling that you were deceived. I’ve checked the year of the show several times and it’s June 2015. This is due to the fact that the series “flashback from the past” that is how many American TV series were shot in the 90s and in the nomination “Retro” the series is definitely the winner, and as a result it is a negative side effect for the viewer from the present. Canadian TV product is released without advertising pump and relatively on a modest budget, but this does not prevent sometimes to shoot not wonderful, but good TV product, unfortunately, this series is not from these categories.
Of the minuses, the series got all the luggage from the 90s. Special effects - if the ship looks tolerable, then the base of the colonists, albeit poor, looks like an abandoned power station from the same 90s. The characters are all on the surface, and everyone is what they look like and nothing more. Dialogues are very brief, like text messages with a maximum of one comma in a sentence and each character speaks the way he looks.
The pros are a little hard to pin down. Against the background of everything, scenes with an android look more pleasant, which is more interesting than human characters, here the actress is in her place and the role written as if for her.
Maybe suddenly the series will reveal, but now only thanks to Android
5 out of 10
A promising series with competent performance and new interesting actors. Jokes in the style of Firefly and the general entourage of sai-fi is present. Maybe that’s what we’ve been waiting for since the shutdown?
The main storyline is built around the crew of the spacecraft, which has 7 people. All of them do not remember their past, rediscover themselves, their professions and talents and the world around them. In addition, in the background, we see how interesting the world of the future is our 7th planet is colonized for the extraction of supplies, the powerful are trying to monopolize the market, and space transportation of laser weapons is now the norm.
After watching only one episode, I already want to put a 10 for the fact that someone is still trying to make a movie for a normal viewer, without cheap marketing tricks and without putting emphasis on endless chases and special effects.
10 out of 10
For the first time in a long time there was a feeling and need not only to put this TV masterpiece unit, but also to give an explanation why.
First of all, they don't do that now. At least in American-American television. “Dark Matter” is special effects at the level of the 70s, cardboard characters, the lack of chemistry between the actors playing, fake emotions in a good half of the scenes, plastic skirmishes between the characters a la far 80s, dialogues are worse than in domestic soap operas that go on Russian central television in the daytime.
Secondly, it's not fantastic. All the things that we usually love about the genre of “fiction” — interesting fantasy assumptions, stylization, innovation, creative approaches, scattered by handfuls of allusions to our real world — there is nothing in the series. Disgusting cheap scenery, depressing type of location, made on the knee, the simplest, almost wooden plot moves, extremely inappropriate attempts to disguise themselves as the legacy of cult TV products like Firefly.
Third, the terrible work of writers, directors, actors. Even Jodell Ferland, the talented girl from Silent Hill, has nothing to play. There is no depth, no scale, no conflict of any interest in history. What’s more, the final twist (not really) of the 1st series repeats itself, no less, in the second... and again at the end of the series, and again in the same reading! The same cliffhanger twice in a row - apparently, this is a real script talent.
I don't want to watch it any further, another flop of the SyFy channel.
The new series 'Dark Matter' was recently released. Having watched the first series with great pleasure, I can say this:
1) It's fantastic. Pure fiction: with spaceships, other planets, robots. Maybe there will be other races, some cosmic battles and the like. I have not seen such series since the days 'Stargate: Universe'
2) The main characters are the crew of the ship and everything is like a selection: thieves, pirates, murderers, thugs. In general, I was very much reminded of the series 'FireFly (FireFly)'. If the new series is even a bit like 'Firefly', I’ll be happy about it.
(3) Saw Amanda Tupping in the directors and David Hewlet on the cast list. Good old actors 'Stargate' If David Hewlet has a significant role here, then I think the series has a chance to become very popular.
(4) What can we say about the total cast of actors? Half of them are quite experienced (not a small list of films), and the other half are apparently beginners (2-3 films). In the first series, they played their roles quite normally. I especially liked the number three. Well, just like Jane from ' Firefly', likes guns, but more and doesn't care about everyone but herself.
(5) The general picture and special effects are quite decent. The style is the same as in old series of this type. Perhaps over time, their budget will become higher and the picture will become more spectacular.
The series is worth watching and I will be waiting for new episodes.