Stranger Things

Nostalgic Things... Authentic 80s King style (children's level) Carpenter style (horror level) Spielberg movie (adult level) par excellence, in other words Super 8 done absolutely right. It can't be more retro. You will recognize (among countless others) for example Stand by Me, E.T., Poltergeist, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Cocoon, Nightmare from Elm Street, Peanuts, The Monster Squad (simply put, the production of Amblin at the time) and... And not surprisingly, even if everything in it (like really everything, a s mall town, an unbelieving self-grown sheriff, a high school, etc.) is purely overseas 80s, so it doesn't seem like a nostalgic copy, a parody of itself or in any way contrived (namely there are two allusions per every minute of the running time), on the contrary, it stand firmly on its feet. In other words, this one doesn’t pretend to be 80s. IT IS 80s in terms of visuals, Carpenter's-tangerinedream musical undertones, mood and generally by atmosphere. And by far the best part is that all of the above is just a foundation for a graduated, mysterious, captivatingly disturbing and deliberately insight into a intentionally second-rate cliché story, which is also enhanced by acting performances, including those of children (after all, you can see on their cast how much it is faithful at the time, none of the children is nice or cute), and everything is dependent on their performance (what such Millie Brown can play only using her eyes, her much experienced, awarded and older colleagues can only envy her, because in spite of everything it is mainly and above all a children's (but not childish) expedition for adventure. If the 80s shaped you, so using the words of Charlie Sheen... What's not to love? | S1: 5/5 | S2: 5/5 | S3: 5/5 | (07/15/2016)

In the first four episodes, total engrossment and enthusiasm. In the second half, (only) satisfaction with the gradual revelation of what’s going on, but the initial fascination waned. All those comparisons to the 1980s, Spielberg, Carpenter, King and others are totally fitting. The characters and the casting are great, and I’m looking forward to going back to that world in the second season. 2nd season: In terms of plot, more of the same. But the charm of a small town in the 1980s, the cute interactions among likeable characters and the fear of the unknown are gone and replaced by fooling around with a herd of digital monsters. At times I had the impression I was watching some fucking animation instead of a horror series. (07/24/2016)

Stranger Things is undoubtedly a pleasant surprise and a random revelation in today's glut of TV series and miniseries. In my case, I can't speak of a certain nostalgic return to the 80s, as I didn’t experienced them and secondly I am not as familiar with the scifi-horror filmography of the time as others (however, I have seen The Thing and The Evil Dead, which are referenced more than once here, alongside numerous mentions of “Lord of the Rings” or “The Hobbit”, which I also enjoyed, even if I've never read the books). In the first place, I have to praise the idea and the story itself, as I was really tense from the first minutes about how everything was going to unfold, and the tension eased (though not completely) only at the end of the last episode. Another plus point is the believably built up atmosphere of the 80s, from the clothes, to the cars, to the music to the overall mood and "feel", which managed to bring me very well closer to this (unseen by me) era. The cast was generally well chosen – I personally didn't mind Winona Ryder's acting too much, I was more focused on the child actors who played their roles very well, and even managed to evoke emotions when the characters interacted – anger or indignation at the bullies, smiling at the boys' humorous discussions, or sadness at someone's death. At the moment, I can't think of anything else to highlight about the series, as I'd be repeating myself a lot with other reviews here (which I've already violated above, then). In short, a decently made genre series that grabs you in its clutches right at the beginning and doesn’t let go until the end, so definitely both thumbs up from me. (09/03/2016)

A time machine for pure retro bliss. All sources of inspiration have been listed, all nostalgic tears have been shed. What in my eyes keeps the speedometer far beyond a hundred even in the second half, when the lively board game is in full swing and definitely shakes off all the air of mystery, is the child casting from the realm behind the mirror. Millie Bobby Brown acts with her eyes in a way that actresses a decade older get Oscars for. Eighteen years later, I got an adaptation of "Half-Life" without knowing it beforehand. And now I'm off to finish reading King's "It" so I can have a pop culture combo without compromise. (09/14/2016)

A chilling retro of the Spielberg-King school. Abrams has competition... An excellently graded horror drama actually written by Stephen King (and who can’t recognize echoes from It or Talisman?) and is still original in its approach. The serial form allows for sufficient character development and building up tension. The Upside Down and things connected with him is the terrifying place and, together with Eleven, perform some great things. Great effects, even though the flashing finale is unbearable for epileptics, it made the hair all over my body stand on end. Everybody is great in acting terms, just Winona overacts rather. I look forward to what the next season offers. Season Two: Typically, season two offers more of everything, everything is bigger and everything happens faster. Pairing up of characters sets of in unexpected directions, but the discovery of the world inside out still takes place only very gradually. Jane is put off onto the sidelines so that some sort of danger that wouldn’t matter could arise, but the whole storyline with searching for her sister just holds back the action. Otherwise again it’s a great watch in Stephen King style. (08/21/2016)