Stranger Things has captured the hearts and excitement on many fans since its debut in 2016. The show explores the lives of Indiana kids growing up the 1980s as they experience supernatural events that spin their lives out of control. This Netflix series -- directed by the Duffer Brothers -- has sustained through three seasons and has achieved high ratings in terms of viewership with its third season being the most watched program on the streaming service, according to Variety magazine. Just recently, Netflix has dropped a teaser trailer for a fourth season and has many fans (me included) excited. But the question is, what makes Stranger Things such as phenomenal series? Let's take a look.
The Cast
The main cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Millie Bobby Brown as the children who are later joined by Sadie Sink in the second season. These young talents were largely unknown as their credits were limited to small television appearances. But since their appearance on this show, they have demonstrated an immense talent as young stars through their performances. Each of them establish a strong emotional range, allowing viewers to feel their vulnerability in the heat of the chaos that ensues.
Then, there is the supporting cast which include David Harbor as Hopper, a flawed, but well-intended police officer, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byer, the devoted mother of one of the main children, and Sean Astin as Joyce's boyfriend. These three provide solid performances to allow us to believe them as human beings plagued with emotional stress of the alarming events that unfold around them and the children they are supposed to protect.
The Characters
The characters here are not only likable, they are very relatable. This is largely owed by the chemistry between them, their friendship is believable and plays a part in their emotional arcs. The bond between the kids brings back echoes of earlier coming-of-age films like Stand By Me, The Sandlot, and The Goonies to name a few, and rarely does the chemistry between young characters come as touching as one established in Stranger Things. Their friendships is portrayed in a way that realistically establishes the innocence of childhood and provide a clear look at what it meant being children during the Reagan era.
In the second season, one of the main kids Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) forms a bond with Steve, an older kid who becomes a big brother figure to him, and the friendship that develops is quite heartwarming. Another friendship that caught my attention was the bonding between Eleven and Max in the third season as the latter introduces the former to life to the outside world where she (Eleven) gets a taste of living life as a normal teenager outside of being couped up in a house by Hopper trying to keep her powers excluded from the public. The moments of these two bonding provide a significant level of realism of the social atmosphere between adolescent girls.
The Story
The story is full of twists and turns as well as scares to keep things moving, and the alarming events that occur present a chilling atmosphere to keep the stakes high and allow us to truly fear for the characters. More than not, the story journeys into places many don't expect, especially season 3 which places a Soviet Invasion plot in the mix. This tackles largely on the Cold Wars fears of communism prevalent during the time period, and what the story manages to make out of it pits plenty of surprises.
The events that transpires are combined with elements of paranormal horror and science-fiction based fears that blend together to create a story draws a new variety of danger in every season. And when a characters suffers, you genuinely feel for them.
Nostalgia
One of the most common gimmicks encounter in a show that set in the 1980s is constantly reminding us of the time period with forced pop culture references and overreliance on popular music soundtracks of its time, and at times, it can get a little overbearing. But this show handles its 80s nostalgia very frugally by focusing on the story and keeping the evidence of its time period through its visuals -- from the interior design of the mall to the characters' clothing -- while utilizing nostalgia for more necessary means.
In the scene when Eleven and Max are going on a shopping spree at the mall, the scene is played through a montage at the sound of Madonna's "Material Girl". This song is used to portray the mood of the scene as it showcases Eleven's experience with exploring the luxuries of the outside world for the first time. Arguably the best scene to tackle nostalgia was during the final scene of season 3 when Dustin is singing The Never Ending Story theme with his distant girlfriend via radio, a moment that beautifully expresses their relationship while playing somewhat for heartwarming humor.
So it is safe to say I am very excited for the fourth season of Stranger Things and see where the story goes next.
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