Scrolling through Netflix Saturday morning, I stumbled upon the Netflix series “Stranger Things” from my dad. He told me he watched the first episode and loved it like everyone else has been saying on Facebook, and I decided to see for myself what this show was about. After watching episode one, I was instantly hooked to this new Netflix series.
Appearing on Netflix this summer on July 15th, the 8 episode series is jam packed with a stellar, unknown cast, interesting plot, and 80’s vibe that brings back a sense of nostalgia to the time. It reminds me a lot of the movie “Super 8” by JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg in more ways than not with the science-fiction premise, old school feel and humor, and great cinematography.
(If you don’t want any spoilers, skip this paragraph and move to the next! If you would like a little background to this show, feel free to read.) The plot is about a group of fantasy and science-loving boys who live in a small suburban town who have their friend, Will Ryder, disappear. Joyce Byers, the mother of Will Ryder played by the award-winning actress Winona Ryder, stops at nothing to find her missing son. With the help of the police and Will’s friends, they all uncover truths about unknown supernatural forces in our world, secret government experiments in the town of Hawkins, and a little girl that may have the answers they are all looking for.
Now I don’t want to spoil the show to anyone that hasn’t watched an episode so far, but I highly recommend anyone and all to watch this who are looking for the next big show to air. The storyline is amazing with the young cast carrying half the story and with veterans of film industry carrying the other half. The producer Shawn Levy and directors Matt and Ross Duffer, also known as The Duffer Brothers, auditioned 906 boys and 307 girls to find the young leads of the show. To be perfectly honest, the actors in the show look and seem as if they were picked up from the 80’s time period and dropped off onto the TV set just to make the series. They play their roles beautifully, adding suspense and humor to the show when it is needed. In addition with the spot-on set, with each scene capturing what is necessary to add more to the story, and having 80’s hit songs and background music play throughout the show, it forms a great show that so far has gotten nothing but ravings from viewers and critics alike.
Everyone is anticipating when season 2 will be released and so am I. I watched the series in two days, while I know some have already watched it in one sitting; you might do the same. I am excited to see how this show will continue to develop and I hope, if you haven’t done so, you jump onto the bandwagon and join the rest of us who are fanatic about this summer hit.