Stranger Things is created by the Duffer Brothers and stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, and Matthew Modine. It tells the story of a boy who goes missing in Hawkins, Indiana in 1983. When other bizarre occurrences seem to link to to the missing boy, his mother and the police chief suspect that there may be more that's going on.
This show is a supernatural thriller, but it is also one of the best mysteries I've seen in a long time. The show constantly keeps you guessing. Is it aliens? Is it ghosts? Is it scientists or the government or both? Each new episode leaves you coming up with a different theory than the one you had before. The storytelling is great. I really appreciate a TV show that doesn't pander to its audience. Stranger Things lets you figure out stuff on your own. It doesn't always tell you; it shows you. And it all just leaves you on the edge of your seat, itching for a second season.
The acting is also phenomenal. Winona Ryder is one of my favorite actresses and we haven't seen her in much lately. She was really able to show her abilities in the role of Joyce, the mother of the missing boy. I also had never seen David Harbour in anything else before, but I loved his performance of Chief Hopper. When you first meet Hopper, you don't really like him at all, but as the series progresses, so does he. He becomes extremely heroic and helpful. You really just feel for both of these characters as they desperately try to find Joyce's son and figure out what's going on in their town. There were a lot of unknowns cast as the teenagers and kids and, honestly, that was such a great decision. There were some amazing young actors and I hope that this will be a launching pad for them. The three main kids were so funny and likable and the teenagers were very real; every teen character in this show was someone I knew in high school.
Where Stranger Things really succeeds and why it has been getting great reviews, in my opinion, is in its aesthetics. The show is set in the 1980s, and it really takes you there. There are elements in both the story and the cinematography that pay homage to Poltergeist, E.T., Escape to Witch Mountain, and even Twin Peaks. Even the main titles make me feel like I'm watching Tron. Three nerdy kids going on a supernatural adventure with a dark electronic soundtrack in the background can make anybody feel nostalgic for those eighties fantasy and horror movies we loved watching growing up. The Duffer Brothers are able to take all these tropes and elements from these films and make something unique and wonderful. You are not going to want to be on your phone while watching this series. The cinematography is beautiful and the editing and lighting are on point. The story, the acting, and all the technical aspects are going to make you want to re-watch this series over and over again and wait impatiently for the next season.
I can see how the obvious tributes to Spielberg and Stephen King may be cliche or annoying to some viewers. But give Stranger Things a chance. It takes inspiration from great artists and turns it into a show that is distinctive and can stand on its own in our current world of reboots and remakes. There's so much to keep you invested and entertained. So just sit back in your La-Z-Boy, relax, and don't let the Demogorgon get you.
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