In this outstanding thriller / coming of age / mystery sereis created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things feels like a show that classic 1980’s Spielberg never got to make, but thankfully happened anyway. If you’re not currently watching binging Stranger Things, we at Geekscape seriously hope you reconsider what you’re doing with your life.
Here’s why in our SPOILER FREE review.
Let’s start at the foundation: THE STORY.
Again, this story is framed in the late 80’s around the mysterious disappearance of 12-year-old William Byers in the sleepy little town of Hawkins, Indiana. We follow as Will’s mom, Joyce Byers (Winona “Secret Crush” Ryder), the grizzled Sheriff (David “Harrison Ford’s Long Lost Brother” Harbour), and Will’s friends search for the missing boy.
There is a delicate balancing act present of mixing familiar tropes to create a fresh feeling in this coming of age thriller mystery. For those who posses “Uncanny” hearing, they might be able to piece together the plot within the pilot episode. Despite the foreshadowing, the Duffer Brothers do a marvelous job of keeping an urgent sense of dread. The stakes are real. This is not a franchise with characters you know will survive to live on for merchandising sake. As it’s said in the series, “Science is cool, but it’s not very forgiving.”
This science-fiction tale definitely feels like first time in what feels like decades, or at least since Twin Peaks, since a series of this caliber has been legitimately cool. Not a manufactured cool either. This isn’t a story a bunch of executives in a boardroom carelessly mashed together to conjure a nostalgia boner across the key demographics. Stranger Things naturally combines many familiar elements into something if not wholly original, is undeniably satisfying.
The PLAYERS
Winona Ryder. Welcome back. I know, your IMDB profile clearly states you haven’t really been away, but your performance here is heartbreaking in all the right ways. When Ryder’s Joyce Byers loses her son, you, the audience feels that loss. You feel her madness, and believe she’ll go to hell and back to get her boy.
“Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, answering a call that the Ghost Busters wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole.”
Huge props to David Harbour too for taking the tired trope of small town, hard boiled sheriff, and making that archetype shine again. Upon the list of all time great bad-asses, Sheriff Jim Hopper gets placed between Han Solo, and Indiana Jones. Don’t be fooled either, there’s more to this character than an alcohol problem and a strong punching arm. There is an undeniable mystery to this character too. What mystery exactly, may have to wait for the second season though.
David Harbour as Sheriff Jim Hopper not collecting evidence, but taking a rest from punching fools in the face.
Finally, do you have any idea how impossible it is to have a child actor who is just okay? Well this series doesn’t have a child actor who is just okay. This series has Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, and Charlie Heaton, and everyone one of them is preposterously outstanding. It’s simply unbelievable that this much young talent is crammed into this one series, but it’s nevertheless true. From the painfully dark situations that Ms. Brown’s character El suffers through, to Mr. Wolfhard’s natural screen presence and chemistry between his friends, everyone hits their marks in spades. Even Mr. Matarazzo and McLaughlin feel more than just supporting cast stereotypes; they are friends, individuals, three-dimensional characters.
I’d bet on these guys over the Goonies any day of the week. Specifically, I’d bet Eleven.
The LOOK and the SOUND
It can’t be said enough that this series is so Eighties in all the right ways. Nailing that visual aesthetic of making a period piece for this production was imperative. If the look wasn’t absolutely perfect, this show, even despite the phenomenal cast, wouldn’t be what it is. With the exception of a few CGI moments that could momentarily distract, the look crafted by the cinematographers, art department, and the rest of the crew is damn near perfection.
I don’t think ET is going to fly off into the sunset in this one fellas.
On top of that, Stranger Things offers a treat for the eyes and the ears. Within the opening shot alone, the silence draws you in only to have the sudden chaos cause your heart rate to spike. This is not a cheap jump scare. This is fear. This is what a well crafted soundscape of unknown dread sounds like. And, it’s beautiful.
The score is also a delightfully haunting synthetic sound that sets the mood beautifully. Special shout out to the soundtrack selection as well.
The VERDICT
Do you feel like this review is slightly biased? Did we over do it on the praise for this series? Do you might suspect that this series can’t possibly live up to this type of hype? Please, feel free to prove yourself dead wrong. Go watch Stranger Things immediately.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxyRG_tckY