The film does a fine job of displaying the contrasts between these tense, formalized Chinese students and the faux populist American academics.
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10/18/08
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Dark Matter (2008)
36 %
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Reviews Counted: 33
Fresh: 12
Rotten:21
Average Rating: 5/10
Consensus: The creaky plotting, inscrutable characters, and unconvincing ending make it difficult for audiences to connect with Dark Matter.
Rated: R [See Full Rating]
Runtime: 90 mins
Theatrical Release: Apr 11, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: The feature film debut of renowned opera and theater director Chen Shi-Zheng, DARK MATTER delves into the world of Liu Xing (Chinese for “Shooting Star”), a Chinese science student pursuing a Ph.D. in the U.S. in the early 1990s. Driven by... [More]
Reviews for Dark Matter
There is nothing wrong with taking inspiration from actual events, but it's a tricky business, and Dark Matter does no one right by sticking to the shocking conclusion.
05/02/08
A remarkable whisper of a movie as well, for something that deals with a subject as alarming as campus violence.
04/18/08
There is no need for a scene in which your hero loses touch with reality via cockeyed camera trickery and thumping techno music.
04/18/08
It is easy to see the film as two movies crammed together, neither of them being very good.
04/18/08
Top Critic Liu Ye is too inexpressive for his role's demands, and the movie doesn't build to his downfall: It just zaps itself there.
04/16/08
While imperfect, the high caliber of acting as well as these lucid moments in the earlier part of the film are strong and memorable highlights with which to leave the theatre.
04/14/08
Written by Billy Shebar and directed by opera director Chen Shi-Zheng, this visually sophisticated film has been criticized for turning a deeply disturbed individual into a "hero," but nothing could be further from the truth.
04/11/08
There's little in Billy Shebar's script, the rambling direction by theater and opera helmer Chen Shi-Zheng - or Liu Ye's impassive performance as the student.
04/11/08
Director Chen Shi-Zheng's film has a graceful energy, and three strong performances help make this serene drama - and its shocking conclusion - quietly moving.
04/11/08
Don't be fooled by the presence of Meryl Streep in the cast. This glum, inert psychological drama features little of her presence – and could have used much more.
04/11/08
An unsuccessful mix of drama and social warning. Post-Virginia Tech, Dark Matter seems merely naïve.
04/11/08
Dark Matter, with its view of cutthroat politics and competing egos inside a university, is also laudable in its refusal to soft-pedal the viciously petty side of the academic fishbowl.
04/11/08
Top Critic A sharp and engaging study of the yearning for academic success; unfortunately, its impact is thrown out the window with a shocking and depressing finale.
04/11/08
...an interesting study of Chinese students trying to assimilate into the American educational system that fails to lay the groundwork for its violent ending.
04/11/08
You could charge Streep with stealing the movie but there's not much to take.
04/11/08
It's an inelegant experiment that captures many intriguing moments as they pass, but ends up utterly baffled by the question of how its delightful central character becomes a tabloid-ready monster.
04/10/08
Dark Matter is certainly interesting, and easy to sit through, but not as compelling as it wants to be.
04/10/08
Latest News for Dark Matter
January 28, 2007:
Sundance Awards: "Padre Nuestro," "Grace is Gone" Among Competition Winners
Results are in for this year's Sundance festival winners, including awards for John Cusack's "Grace is Gone," Christopher Zalla's "Padre Nuestro," NASA... More...
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