If there's one thing I love, it's well-written television. If there's another thing I love, it's being pleasantly surprised by said well-written television. Stranger Things is one of those series. If you haven't been watching Netflix recently, or you've managed to avoid your newsfeed for a while by going out and enjoying the summer sun, Stranger Things is all the rage right now. And, rightfully so--it's phenomenal.
A promotional image for "Stranger Things". (Source: Slashfilm.) (Link contains spoilers!)
Stranger Things is a Netflix-original sci-fi horror/thriller series taking place in the 1980s, in a small town in Indiana. One day, after an intense D&D campaign, a group of middle-school-aged friends--Will, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin--part ways. But, on his way home, Will goes missing. As soon as his friends and family find out, they have a hunch that he's not dead, even if there is mounting evidence to the contrary, and begin to investigate. Joyce, Will's mother, begins to emotionally and mentally unravel, but she still holds on to hope that her son is alive. Everyone's question is, where the heck could Will have gone? And, more importantly, what can they all do?
Meanwhile, as these mysterious events occur, an escaped test subject named Eleven (El)--a young girl with mysterious powers--ends up bumping into the boys looking for Will, soon joining their search. But, all the same, the boys begin to wonder--can El help them find Will?
Now, do know that I am basically going through the bare minimum of the plot here; Stranger Things is one of those series where it's good to go in relatively blind, as I did. In trying to stay away from spoilers, I'm hoping that I'm not doing the series a disservice! There's multiple plot lines going through this series, including the town's police chief searching for answers, Mike's sister and her romance, Will's brother's investigation, Joyce coping with her child going missing, and Eleven's experiences with her powers. The nice thing is, clocking in at around an hour an episode, after 8 episodes, the show is neatly wrapped up, and everything mentioned is eventually addressed, all with a nice little lead-in for another season. Considering I'm used to shows ending before they can explain things, that's a nice change!
Joyce (Winona Ryder) looking around her house in awe. (Source: Medium). (Know that the link contains spoilers!)
The entire series is, for lack of a better term, a love letter to 1980s sci-fi and horror, along with fantasy (lots of D&D nods) and even anime and video games, too--the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, explicitly mention Elfen Lied and The Last of Us being huge influences on the story in interviews. If you don't know about either of those franchises, let's say that the influence on the two Stranger Things is very, VERY clear. (I'd go into detail, but you know--spoilers! That, and also, the two are very violent, so I'm not gonna link them here. Keeping it PG, folks!) Also, other influences like The Goonies, Stand By Me, E.T., The Shining, and Alien are very clear, and as a movie buff, they all made me smile. It's nerd-vana.
Unlike other horror featuring young children, this series is notable in how it never patronizes the children protagonists. Their emotions--as immature as they may be sometimes--are valid, and they deal with some pretty mature (and scary!) stuff. On that note, the story does a great job going from humorous to serious, all in the course of a scene, and is very well-written. The children sound like children and teenagers like teenagers, which is a nice change from much of the shows I've watched written by adults about kids. Also, while many of the characters come across as '80s film stock character types at first--I'm looking at you, Steve Harrington--as the story unfolds, there is a significant amount of believable character development for all, which is refreshing.
Michael (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) having a discussion. (Source: Slate).
An interesting aspect of the series is the use of flashbacks, especially in the case of Eleven, who is a girl of few words. While she doesn't talk very much about what happened to her, we see her have flashbacks to her past as things happen around her. Through these flashbacks, we learn about her and about the overarching plot--one that, without spoiling anything, is sketchy as heck. Still, it's a great use of "showing and not telling", and I adore it.
Meanwhile, for adults, there's tons of "adult" fears, such as the death, child abuse, mental illness, abduction, and even murder. (This series has got it all.) That aside, it's a thriller that is intense, well-paced, but not terrifying enough that it would give me nightmares. Instead, it made me think, which is even better.
The score is phenomenal, eerie, and sets the mood well with its dreary 1980s synth riffs. And, to set the atmosphere in the same way that Guardians of the Galaxy and Super 8 did, there's a plethora of '80s jams underscoring it all and helping to immerse the viewer into the time period. To that effect, on the visual side of things, the costuming is spot-on, the creature design is wonderfully Eldritch-y (I love some good monster designs, let me tell you), the lighting is artful, and the special effects--especially the practical effects--are wonderful. Still, my one nit-pick is with the CGI (you can tell they don't have a Hollywood budget--it's kind of like modern Doctor Who level, to give you an idea), which isn't the most realistic, but it doesn't detract from the story or anything!
The cinematography is to die for, with the lighting being gorgeous during the spooky atmospheric scenes, and with masterful camerawork. The acting, too, deserves a shoutout, with every single member of the ensemble cast pulling their weight. Joyce (Winona Ryder), Will's mother, is a standout performance, along with all of the children actors, especially Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) and Michael (Finn Wolfhard).
Either way, Stranger Things is a phenomenal series to binge-watch or just watch regularly (I was up until 4:30 AM doing so), and if you're looking for something unique, it's definitely worth your time! It's the best live-action series I've watched this summer, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants some high-quality fiction in their life.
Rating: 4.5/5
