The new sci-fi mystery by Netflix that does everything right

Luke Gentle, Staff Writer

Released on Netflix, July 15 2016

Eight episodes, 50 minutes

Netflix’s Stranger Things is the perfect combination of sci-fi, mystery and drama.
While not primarily a horror TV series, it has gripping and heart-racing moments. One of the best qualities of Stranger Things is the unexpectedly touching plot. Set in 1983, Stranger Things captures the time period perfectly, with many allusions to 70s and 80s pop culture.

The story takes place in a fictional small town in Hawkins, Indiana. Centered around the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers, the story follows Will’s mother (Winona Ryder), Will’s friends (Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Finn Wolfhard), the town police chief (David Harbour) and a strange girl simply named 11 who escapes from a government laboratory at the same time of the disappearance. Each of the major character’s stories are interesting but it’s not until the multiple stories slowly intertwine to reveal more and more of the mystery that surrounds the town, that the story really shines.
Beyond the plot Stranger Things also exemplifies great writing and cinematics. Throughout the series the writing and directing by The Duffer Brothers is spot-on and the dialogue is rarely awkward or unbelievable. Along with the great dialogue, the on point writing and directing creates strong, dynamic characters that you’ll quickly become attached to. Because of the strong directing at no point is the immersion of story broken by bad acting or cinematics. One of the most notable qualities of Stranger Things is the soundtrack. Featuring a mixture of 80s classic rock and electric by the band S U R V I V E, the soundtrack matches the tone of scenes perfectly, with the opening sequence standing out as particularly good. In addition to soundtrack, a good mixture of computer generated and practical effects greatly improves the immersion of the series.

It’s no wonder why Stranger Things has accumulated such a large fan base so fast. With the entire show reminiscent of favorite 80s classic science fiction and monster movies while still displaying great writing and directing in tis own respect. Even Stephen King himself has praised the series by tweeting “Watching Stranger Things is [like] watching Steve King’s Greatest Hits. I mean that in a good way”. Overall Stranger Things is a perfect binge watch with about seven hours of content that can be completed in less than a week, if not a weekend. Fan of the series will be happy to know that season two has been already confirmed by Netflix and will contain nine episodes. Season two is supposed to be released sometime in 2017.