Almost everyone uses Netflix. The streaming service first introduced in 2007 has quickly changed the way we view television and as of this year, has 83 million subscribers worldwide. Following the service's success, we now have HBO Now and Amazon Prime. Netflix has been around for a while, but it was the Marvel Comics based series Daredevil and Jessica Jones that boosted the service's popularity. Now, there is a new original series that everyone is talking about; Stranger Things.
The series, written, directed and created by the Duffer Brothers [twins Matt and Ross] is based in the Eighties and follows a week in the lives of residents in a sleepy town after the mysterious disappearance of a boy and the appearance of a strange girl. After Netflix released trailers for the series, it became one of the summers most anticipated series. So when it finally appeared online the series was met with critical acclaim. In the few weeks its been available to stream, it has garnered comparisons to Spielberg's E.T, Ridley Scott's Alien and is said to be a better '80s movie than most Eighties movies.
Strangely enough, the Duffer Brothers initially got the idea for the break-out series from the plot of Prisoners, the 2013 Hugh Jackman movie about a man who's daughter disappears. On the concept behind the hit series, Ross Duffer told Rolling Stone, "When I look back at something like E.T.,not only does it hold up beautifully but it feels timeless. We hoped that it would be the same with this. It doesn't matter if you were raised in the Eighties or not, you can connect with these characters. There are kids, teens and adults in this so there's someone for everyone to relate to. The intention was always that this would play as a summer popcorn blockbuster."
What makes Stranger Things interesting is it's expert use of nostalgia. It encompasses elements used in other 80s movies that everyone has seen, secret government experiments, extraterrestrial themes and supernatural forces. The series could have easily been a two hour movie, but eight hours allowed for just the right amount of character development. The series has something for everyone. There are some dark Alien like themes, but overall, the Duffer Brothers' efforts have paid off.
Ben Bajarin of Tech Opinion writes, "Stranger Things could end now or go another year, either way, it had a satisfying end." It seems like fans of the series couldn't agree more, a second season has been confirmed by the Duffer Brothers.
