Stranger Things (2016) Review

Ah, the 80's. The last decade before the internet and cell phones took over our lives, when sci-fi dominated the silver screen and kids were the heroes. The 80's are indeed making a nostalgic comeback, this time in the form of an 8-part Netflix original series.

In a small town in Indiana, a boy named Will Byers vanishes one day on his way home. Will's mom and the local Police Chief launch a city-wide search for him, but come up short. A day later, a strange bald-headed girl is found by Will's friends and they discover she has psychokinetic powers and knows how to find Will. As the city tries to uncover the truth about his disappearance, a local government-run lab is trying to find the girl and cover it all up, all while a strange creature is hunting the locals.

This series showcased great acting and it was clear everyone took their roles seriously. I get annoyed when I can tell the actors are bored and don't care about the project. In this, Winona Ryder stands out as the mother of the missing boy. She convincingly portrayed the worried mother, and you can see her mental deterioration as the story progressed, especially as the strange occurrences became stranger. All of the child actors did a tremendous job, primarily Millie Bobby Brown as the bald-headed girl, Eleven, and Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler. Wolfhard slowly becomes one of the main emotional cores holding the heart of the show together. In fact, there isn't a single child actor that I found annoying or undeveloped in the series. My favorite of the child actors was Gaten Matarazzo who played Dustin Henderson, the comic relief. Another actor who manages to capture the same feeling of an emotional core is David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper, whose backstory is slowly revealed throughout the show. In addition to the acting, the cinematography was fantastic and made me feel uneasy throughout. This is what a modern-day 80's sci-fi thriller should look and feel like. And, of course, the soundtrack greatly benefitted the show. I've mentioned before the rising popularity of contemporary 80's synth music, and Stranger Things utilizes this to put you in the spirit of the decade.

My only complaint is that the story stumbles near the end. Although the questions are somewhat answered, more questions are brought up, even at the series’ conclusion. Luckily, the series is so well-produced and well-acted that you can't help but want to see what happens next.

I recommend this series for anyone who loves a dark sci-fi mystery story. If you love the Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, or Stephen King movies of the 80's, this is a must watch.