Earlier this summer our Netflix queues were blessed with a new Netflix original series called Stranger Things. In the days after it was released the show’s popularity soared as everyone binge-watched all eight episodes. With its exciting twists and turns and characters that are relatable, lovable, and just really badass it’s not hard to pull a 12-hour solo viewing party. This could possibly be one of Netflix’s best original series, and here’s why we think so.
The show has so many vintage movies references
For anyone who enjoys 70s and 80s sci-fi/horror movies, Stranger Things is definitely for you. This show is a giant nostalgia fest. It’s just one big geeky Easter egg hunt for so many different movie references. It also just has kind of a Steven Spielberg/Stephen King vibe to it that will take you back to a time when movies about kids riding around on bikes, dealing with aliens and the paranormal was all the rage.
The characters are just so great
Ya know when finish binge-watching a show and feel a deep sadness that you no longer get to watch the people on the show because you were starting to form a weird, sad, fake friendship with fictional characters? If you haven’t yet experienced that pathetic phenomenon, you will with Stranger Things. Whether it’s the kids, the parents, or the kid’s older siblings, the characters in the show are all super well written. They’re genuine and sincere with a kind of relatable quality that makes you feel like if you were to know them in real life you’d all be friends. Sometimes you want to protect them and give them a huge hug. Sometimes you feel like you’ve been through what they’re going through…except for saving your friend or son from another dimension and the clutches of an alien.
Speaking of relatable, we have all been either a Nancy or a Barb
In the show there is the younger group of friends that consists of Eleven, Lucas, Dustin and Mike and also an older set of characters. Mike has a high school age sister named Nancy who has a best friend named Barb. Without giving any heart wrenching spoilers, I’ll just tell you know that Barb deserves the world, and the writers of this show definitely do not give her that. The dynamic between the two friends is all of us in high school. We have all been either a Nancy, the girl that gets so swept up in a crush that we set aside friendship and school because boys are new and exciting. Or we’ve been Barb, the girl who’s constantly looking after our friends and making sure they don’t get too caught up dating a boy that they forget who they are. Nancy and Barb are just too real for anyone who’s been a high school girl. If you consider yourself part of that group you’ll probably love their storyline in Stranger Things.
The actors IRL are just so great
If you haven’t watched any popular talk shows recently and haven’t really gone on the internet in a while then you probably have no idea how freaking adorable the cast who play such authentic characters is. The main focus of the show is four kids, and they’re played by some of the most charming child actors I’ve seen in a while. Just watch any interview with Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin or Billy Bobby Brown and you’ll fall in love. Look up their instagrams and you’ll see that they’re the sweetest, most down to earth kids. Not only are the budding stars this show has turned out perfect, but Stranger Things features some well known names like Winona Ryder (known for Edward Scissorhands and Heathers) and Mathew Modine (known for Full Metal Jacket and The Dark Knight Rises).
We may have a absolute hit on our hands and so you probably shouldn’t miss out one what might become a classic.
Enough said, ladies and gentlemen.
Overall, Stranger Things is great. It mixes classic Sci-Fi and horror themes with some great characters and some crazy suspenseful moments. It’s only eight episodes so why not give it a try, but chances are you’ll love it.