Stranger Things is one of the greatest science-fiction/mystery series of our generation which is ironic to say considering how much it beautifully calls back to classic 80's nostalgia. The central characters are fun to watch, the dramatic moments are very well delivered along with great performances altogether, and the science-fiction/mystery elements are strongly integrated while very carefully setting up a magnificently eerie universe.
There are moments during the season that felt as though I was watching a supernatural/fantasy film for a younger audience while others gave the impression of a science-fiction/horror catered to a more mature crowd. That in itself is part of the brilliance of this series alongside the exceptional storytelling and attention to atmosphere. Interestingly enough, the show does an excellent job at successfully targeting a widespread of age demographics which is a pretty big deal for any storytelling property to accomplish.
The children characters have their very own central story that conveys the more fun and adventurous tone to the show (with its own emotional moments sprinkled throughout). You have your teenagers who are currently going through pivotal transitional moments in their lives regarding the importance of decision making and maturing towards adulthood. Then to top things off, you have a highly serious adult drama that centers around grief, forgiveness, and acceptance.
To call Stranger Things a show with a nice sense of variety would be an illegally understated comment as there is truly a massively diverse package of content being offered up here as far as entertainment value goes. With a keen eye for delivering astounding visual FX driven spectacle whenever absolutely necessary timing-wise while driving along an emotionally pulling and intriguing circle of intersecting plot points, Stranger Things constantly kept me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I was immediately taken back to films like E.T. (which the series beautifully tributes alongside other classic Spielberg and Stephen King films) as I kept thinking to myself, "Wow, I've never felt so emotionally attached to a supernatural character in quite some time."
As I mentioned before, everyone in the cast brings their A-game here as far as performances go within the central cast of characters. I simply cannot emphasize enough how great all of the child actors were as they do push the series along on their own for a significant portion of the runtime. It's one of those situations where character moments consist more of emotional moments than spectacular action and visual flare (there's enough of everything in here), so I'm happy to say that I was never taken back negatively by anyone's screen presence whatsoever.
I can now safely report that I've discovered a new favorite series to keep an eye out for in the future as far as upcoming seasons go. It looks like Netflix has successfully won me over yet again with another amazingly crafted exclusive series. For now I'll just sit back, relax, and say "Season 2, I shall now impatiently await your arrival".
Season Rating: 9/10
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