A new original show on Netflix is taking the world by storm with just eight, hour-long episodes. It is Stranger Things by the Duffer Brothers, and it deserves its praise.
Stranger Things is about a small town in Indiana during the 1980s. Things start to go bump when 12-year-old, Will Byers, goes missing. No one seems to know where he has gone when Will's three best friends find a mystical girl named Eleven in the woods. She is not the only thing that is strange about this town.
First of all, this show's cast is amazing. Winona Ryder plays Will's mother who starts to see and hear things that are not normal. Everyone does such a good job, from the adults to the teenagers to the children. The child actors, espiecally Millie Bobby Brown who plays Eleven, are the best child actors I have seen in a movie or show in a long time. They act very mature for their age, and their performances remind of the Goonies.
That is another cool part of the show. This Netflix orginal feels like a classic 80s movie like The Goonies, The Lost Boys, or Poltergeist. The soundtrack and the mood of the show makes it kind of nostalgic of a simpler time. However, it is very modern with its characters and mature themes.
The characters go beyond their stereotypes. In the show, you follow the adults, the teenagers, and the children. Like I said before, the children on this show are mature for their age, but they never act too adult. They play some type of Dunces and Dragons, and they ride bikes everywhere. The teenagers seem problematic at first, but they learn from their mistakes as the show goes on. Even the boyfriend of the main female teenager becomes important. He is not tossed to the side as the dirt bag boyfriend. Then the adults are actually smart and not annoying. The adults you follow are Winona Ryder's character and the cop who is investigating Will's disappearance played by David Harbour. They learn the secrets of the town and what happened to Will by trusting their instincts, and not letting anyone get in their way.
The writing and cinematography is also very well done. The show knows when it wants to be creepy, but also when there is a quiet moment. There is also never a dull moment. This is because you become invested in the characters and what is going to happen next. When the show is over, you just want more. Thank goodness season two has been confirmed and is coming in 2017.
I highly recommend this show to anyone who likes old 80s movies like the Goonies, or shows like American Horror Story and Supernatural. This is the Duffer Brothers first major project and what a debut it is. They will be on the television scene for a while. If you have a subscritpiton to Netflix, Stranger Things is a must watch. I would even say to get a Netflix account just to watch this show if you do not have one. It is that spectucular.
