Netflix has been home to many a show that used preexisting material and remakes to bolster its brand. Now that they’ve settled into a brilliant groove, they have moved on to homage. Stranger Things, the show created by the Duffer Brothers, which takes on the 80s supernatural children’s story of an Amblin Entertainment and imbues it with more heart and harsher terms.
Stranger Things is a property that I could give you a synopsis about, but I’d be afraid to spoil anything. I think going in mostly cold worked the best for me so I’m going to try and review the show in more basic terms. The show is set in 1980s Indiana and kicks in to gear when Will Byers seems to vanish into thin air, at the same time a young girl (Millie Brown) is found by a fry cook. From there it gets twisty and scary and emotional.
Unlike Super8, to which this show should thank because they could see where not to go wrong, Stranger Things doesn’t let the story get bigger than it should. Even as all the shenanigans are happening, the Duffer Brothers keep it wound around the central characters and their choices. 8 episodes feels slight to those of us who are used to binging 13, or grew up in the 22 episode a season time frame, but it truly was the right amount for this story. Why drag the narrative out when you have interesting characters and a natural end (and a brilliant set up for a 2nd season)? Even when you get to the creepier monster elements, the show doesn’t forget the characters and finds interesting was to do right by them. What helps aid this along is giving every character a motivation and an emotional core. You are on the edge of your seat not just because of the scary monster but because these character have let you in.
This kind of storytelling is best served when you have actors who can make even the most ridiculous parts work and the cast of Stranger Things is brilliant. There are so many stand outs from Winona Ryder‘s unhingedness and David Harbour‘s rugged masculinity and propensity for punching his way out of things to the main trio of Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin constantly on the search for their friend. The two actors who will stay with me are Charlie Heaton and Millie Bobby Brown. Heaton plays Jonathan Byers, the loner brother of Will, and brilliantly digs into the role of the brother forced to grow up faster than he should. Man he had my heart in a vice throughout the series and his heroic nature that showed through made it. The star of this show is Millie Bobby Brown. Listen, that young lady is gonna grow up to be a fine actress. She bodied the hell out of this role and was pitch perfect at every turn.
There’s only one truly wrong note in the whole show which I can’t go into lest I spoil a plot moment, but suffice to say that it didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the show.
Go watch Stranger Things ASAP!