Chapter Eight: The Upside Down

TV shows now are becoming bigger and better than ever, budgets have grown, casting has improved and the demand for good Television is more intense than ever. Netflix has played a huge part in this, within its own Netflix Originals series it has produced some fantastic TV and Stranger Things is a fantastic addition to its growing collection. Television has changed massively over recent years, it is competing with Hollywood Movies in terms of popularity and demand and this allows them to be created with much more quality.

Not only is Stranger Things set during the 1980's it also goes the extra mile to really pay homage to this era and to the movies that were produced around that time. It doesn't simply create sets and props to fit in with that era but It makes reference to things that were relevant at that time such as films, books, games and music and this detail is something which makes this show so special. The 80's score is utterly fantastic and it really goes a long way to adding to the nostalgic 80s vibe.

The cast is quite large and varied but it ultimately centres around four young children who well and truly, completely steal the show. Their acting is superb and believable from them; they are convincing in all aspects of the role whether it's portraying comedy, sadness or fear. It has a corny feel to it at times, like many 80s shows did, the dialogue can be cheesy with some childish scripting. The rest of the cast are also good with David Harbour and Winona Ryder giving superb performances as the Detective and the troubled Mother.

I have seen many negative reviews slating this for not being original and adding nothing new to the genre. 80s Sci-Fi/Horror isn't a genre that I am very experienced in so I cannot say that I found it unoriginal. It did however contain some very cliché moments and was very predictable at times.

Filmed over 8 episodes with various runtimes between 45minutes to 1 hour in length, the pacing is done quite well. The main story moves along at a well-structured pace and the mystery isn't revealed early on in the show. Tension and the unknown are what makes this show so great and the creators do a fantastic job of not ruining this, keeping our attention throughout the duration of the series. The scene in which Wills Mother sets up all the Christmas lights in their home was a fantastic scene. However I did feel that there was plenty of filler stories which weren't completely necessary to the telling of the story. I wouldn't say that these scenes dragged as such but I did find myself questioning their importance as they sometimes felt out of place.

I'm not an 80s child so I hold little affection to that era, however that didn't discourage my enjoyment for Stranger Things. It's a very well made show which is only made better by the 80s nostalgia. I binged on this in two sittings and the time completely flew by, every minute was fulfilling and I'm very glad that I jumped onto the hype. Series 2 has been confirmed and I can only hope that they do series 1 justice and keep true to their roots, please don't ruin such a great show with a shallow, rushed, money-spinning sequel.

9/10