Stranger Things Review

9/10

Stranger Things is a show that harks back to movies of simpler times. In the 80s, Spielberg was at the top of his game with Jaws and E.T, and it’s time for a revamp from those days from The Duffer Brothers.

People can’t get enough of the Thriller/Mystery Stranger Things. To some, it’s because it’s something new. For others, it’s because it’s pure nostalgia. But, for most, it’s because it’s a great show.

The show immediately grabs audiences’ attention when the first scene keeps them on edge, showing there is a monster, but not showing you what kind. Then were introduced to the four lovable boys Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp).

Audiences get the 80s vibe from the clothes they’re wearing, and the synth sounds, down to The Thing poster on the wall.

The show gets interesting when one of the boys, Will, is taken by something after he’s left home alone at night. Viewers will be grasped into the mystery as his mom Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), his brother Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), and Officer Jim Hopper (David Harbour), all uncover an interesting mystery around Will.

Winona Ryder from films such as Beetlejuice, plays an amazing role. I have to imagine it wasn’t easy to pull off as the character slowly slips from what’s considered reality and the world thinks she’s going insane. In reality, she’s the first to realize something is up when her son goes missing.

Charlie Weaton who players Will’s brother is, at first glance, the weird kid. In the end, he becomes relatable through Weaton’s good acting.

The show is most enjoyable when the boys are on screen. While Schnapp (Will) is less seen he still plays the role well. Wolfhard, Matarazzo, and Mclaughlin all play extremely relatable roles. It reminds audience of being younger and riding bikes around town with your friends. They’re like the boys from the 1986 movie Stand By Me. The boys give us a great on-screen chemistry.

Eleven is a character played by Millie Bobby Brown. The character doesn’t say much, but Brown plays her with such emotion and the character is arguably the most important. It’s hard to say anything about her without saying too much, but she plays an interesting role to say the least.  

However, my favorite role was David Harbour as Jim Hopper. The show had me most pulled in during his scene. He had a backstory that really made you feel for him as his daughter had cancer. He is the officer assigned the task of finding Will. He thinks Joyce is insane at first, but then he begins to realize her crazy conspiracy was correct. He just wants to give the mother her son back, so she doesn’t have to experience loss like he did. Harbour offered some relatability and some realistic humor in the serious situations. He wasn’t invincible; he was vulnerable and that’s why I think I loved the character so much.

Other than just the acting, the cinematography was great. It used few hand held shots, which is a breath of fresh air with today’s movies barely passing watchable. There’s many satisfying and simplistic shots.

Even with the story being new, it begins to feel rehashed because even with the appeal of harks back to the 80’s, it can begin to feel repetitive. From the many similarities to E.T, to the shot similarities of Alien, the show can be unoriginal. But with the other factors being so strong, the show still stands out as a success for Netflix.

With great acting, great plot, and minimal issues, I’m going to give Stranger Things a 9/10.