Review: Stranger Things

My daughter had been trying for a long time to get me to watch Stranger Things, a science fiction-horror Netflix Original series.

This past week when I craved distraction, I started watching Episode 1 of Season 1 of Stranger Things. I literally could not tear myself away from the TV.

I ended up watching both season 1 and 2, finally finishing up on Saturday. Wow. I was 2 years late in arriving at the party but better late than never.

Season 1 debuted in July 2016, and what a great series the Duffer Brothers created. These two wrote and directed this compelling series. Executive producers were the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen.

The Amazing Actors

The cast from both seasons features well-known Winona Ryder, Matthew Modine, and not so well-known, at least by name, David Harbour who is instantly recognized for his many roles as a journeyman actor. He is absolutely superb in this role–believable, likable, and exhibiting all the strengths and weaknesses that make up a human being.

Toss in Cara Buono, Sean Astin, and Paul Reiser as some of the adults along with  guest appearances by many of the actors/actresses from Stargate SG1 and finish with a mostly unknown cast of kids who play the intrepid adventurers out to save their friend who disappeared one dark and creepy night.

These amazing young actors are: Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, and Joe Keeryroles.

About Stranger Things

Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, in the 1980s, the first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy and the appearance of a girl with psychokinetic abilities who helps the missing boy’s friends in their search.

The second season, Stranger Things 2, is set one year later, and deals with attempts of the characters to return to normal life and the consequences resulting from season one.

The series was planned to be an investigative drama colored with supernatural elements, all portrayed with childlike sensibilities.

The series is a love song to the 80′s pop culture. That means a great soundtrack and visual references like movie posters such as John Carpenter’s The Thing hanging on a boy’s bedroom wall. Pop culture bits are sprinkled into the dialogue, scenery, and action.

My Thought

Don’t delay. Watch Stranger Things today. If you don’t have Netflix, you can get Stranger Things, Season 1, as a 4-DVD set from Amazon for $19.50. It looks as if Stranger Things 2 is going to be one of the big hits for the holiday buying season. Amazon has it listed on their Holiday Toy List.

Stranger Things 2, the complete season, is available for $22.99.

Takeaway Truth

Stranger Things is better than anything I can think of on network television. It’s smart, funny, emotional, scary, and compelling in every way.