Stranger Things (2016-2025)
A large amount of the concept heavily showcasing the 80s. I wouldn't be surprise another show doing the same for the 90s happens soon. Along with my wife, we're both born 1989. We barely missed out on the 80s ourselves. A lot of influences were quite obvious. The Duffer Brothers are huge fans of D&D. They also confirmed Silent Hill was a major inspiration.
A lot of the characters are rememberable. Even an handful that doesn't live long on the show. We get to see many seasons play out from several sides. From the beginning, there's always this big mystery. Eventually majority of them gets answered in some way. I do liked they deal with going beyond an plain of existence. Little did any of us know they finally cross things to a parallel world.
If you lived in the 80s this show going to bring back a lot of memories. I would say most of the episodes felt like a great movie series. I know recently regarding Season 5 people are criticizing the hell out of it. Going back what I previous said about marathon reading Chainsaw Man. A lot of them are marathon watching this show.
To the point, they don't fully register everything. Some personal stuff went full circle with an handful of characters. The final battle was criticized being too short. Honestly, I rather had more story following it than extending the battle with a more rushed out ending. I even cried during the final ending credits I was quite happy.
There's a lot of complexity they do often try to simplify to a degree. Let's be honest, some of the more recent stuff is nearly impossible to simplify in all honestly. I also felt Vecna aka Henry was a great antagonist for the show. A huge spoiler they pulled an Inuyasha villain twist on us. Anyone familiar with Inuyasha instantly knows what I just spoiled.
This show doesn't shy alone from the deaths. A large amount of the show kept reminding me of Half-Life series. Both franchises involves organizations that experiments with crazy theories. Which does include opening portals to another plain of existence. Quickly getting out of control with a lot of deaths. Half-Life also has some complex concepts within it's stories.
I'm also used to this through The Flash show I liked. This had a notably way better ending than that. Covid era slowed down production on many shows including Stranger Things. Which led to another famous controversiality. Majority of the younger cast members were too old to play their respective characters.
Honestly, they done a great job with what's been given. Yes they did replace Holly's actress. Although, I felt that turned out to be a great decision. Little did I realize her original actresses were twin sisters. They even used the same trick Full House done with the Olsen Twins. If anyone asks I'm a bigger fan of their sister Elizabeth.
For years this was among Netflix's biggest shows. Many people dropped everything to watch newer seasons of the show. Almost like great pay per view events or going to the movie theaters geared up. Yes I'm talking about getting snacks with a pair of 3D glasses. There's forty two episodes that do notably differ in length.
Usually the season finales are the longest episodes. The most recent being a little over two hours long. This move was obviously inspired by Attack on Titan. For those that doesn't know the strategy they done. Instead of doing more episodes to end it all. They actually done a little over an hour long specials. Two of them right after each other with a huge gap between em.
Speaking of that, I didn't like how they chosen to release the episodes for the final season. Starting with Season 4, they give you most of the episodes. But we had to wait for the final episodes. Now that isn't too bad compared to Season 5. Right before Thanksgiving we gotten four episodes. Christmas followed with three more episodes.
Finally the final episode on the last day of the year. I didn't felt they rushed production on that season. I'm more curious to see how Seasons 2 and 3 done with Squid Game. Considering those two seasons were film back to back. We will see if I finally get to review that Netflix show later on. There's plenty of moments with enough on both sides to relate to whoever watching.
For a streaming show, it does deliver entertainment. Sadly with it's reputation, it was doomed to have haters. Very true right now with the final season. Let's be honest, a lot of them doesn't properly understand the show. I also get a lot of people are heavily against loving same sex stuff. All I can say is many things going to follow suit.
Parts of that were there from the beginning!!! Some amazing actors & actresses appeared on the show. The more recent being Linda Hamilton. Whose widely known being the original actress to play Sarah Connor. I felt she done an amazing job with her role. I also noticed many trends came full circle in the final seasons outside the controversialities.
A good example being a newer group of D&D players with Mike's little sister. Dustin ended up becoming the new Eddie. Speaking of Eddie, the famous Metallica guitar moment. It was so great the actual band met with the actor. I personally absolutely loved this moment!!! Final season had more of those moments I loved with an passion.
The perfect line before Vecna dies by Winona Ryder yes!!! Let's be honest, a lot of his actions greatly affected her more than anything else. She was the first to start fighting against Vecna. It made perfect sense she finally gets her revenge. Several aspects of that was full circle. The Upside Down was never another plain of existence as it turns out.
This by itself turned everything we knew well upside down. What someone had to say it lol. I also loved most of the characters came together to take on Vecna. Stranger Things has plenty strange aspects as it goes on. For me it's just like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure with anything bizarre. There's little to nothing normal here!!!
The story can differ to a degree with pacing at times. I never felt any of it was notably rushed out. If you wanna see an final season rushed out. Then go watch the final season of Gotham. Now that's more rushed than this final season!!! Not only that, I also loved somehow everyone came together like a big family.
No one wanted to die neither leave any of the others behind. They simply wanted to save their world. At the same time doing what they can to be save. A large amount of the concept kept reminding me of Phantasm series. I'm surprised not many people notice some of the strong similarities. Confirmed inspirations or not this show has similarities I couldn't ignore.
Both has an main character named Mike. An group of humans taking an stand against an supernatural tyrant. Somehow involves several plains of existence. Also one of the main characters has similarities powers to the antagonist. Personally this final season was better than the final Phantasm movie. Rest in peace, Angus Scrimm aka The Tall Man.
I also wanna mention with so many franchises getting ruined after bringing in an multiverse. I actually felt this was among the better recent showcases of a multiverse. We only get to see two universes essentially. But compared to a lot of them going bigger. Maybe keep things smaller is ultimately better in the long run.
I was deeply impressed by everything honestly. I'm talking the insane quality as Tales from the Crypt as well as Ash vs. Evil Dead show. This show is absolutely perfect to watch close to or on Halloween. Stranger Things felt like something truly unique. Demogorgons are famous monsters in the franchise. I also loved we get to see the younger characters grow up as the story plays out.
Speaking of rushed out, I personally didn't like American Horror Story's Double Feature season. Pacing with rushing the ending to the first story made it among my least favorites to date. It also didn't help the story for the other story wasn't great with not decent special effects. This final season easily blew that season away!!!
This show might not been one I was there from the beginning. Now I kinda wished I was after I fully watched it. There's a few horror shows like Chucky I was there from the beginning. The final season was better than Chucky's Season 2. Stranger Things is a show that gets quite serious. It is so nice when the lighter moments shows up at times.
It's amazing despite everything that happened including nightmare fuel stuff. Majority of the characters kept their humanity in the end. Suddenly they acted as the light against Vecna's darkness. They were even out doing soldiers later on. I do have some favorite characters I'll reveal. Of course, I like Eleven a lot.
Alexei quickly became one of my favorite characters. He eventually became an ally with a sad ending. You actually felt bad for him after it happens. I gotta mention Murray Bauman aka the crazy guy. He went from not really wanting to help to becoming a great ally to the characters. I also liked Joyce a lot as well.
Easily my favorite parent character along with Hooper on the show. I previously mentioned Eddie who also had an sad ending. Bob Newby with a similar fate. It's kinda amusing the same actor played Sam in The Lord of the Rings movies. The live action movies prior to the live action The Hobbits movies. I do like majority of the kids as well.
By now the world getting more used to reliving the 80s. Notably done better here than in American Horror Story: 1984. I won't sugar coat things that season sucked!!! The interactions with the characters especially later on are like actual relationships to a degree. I know parts of that won't be taken seriously with all the crazy stuff that happens.
If I learned anything from the last decade. People sure can't get enough out of crazy shows. Stranger Things has surprising depths to many things especially within it's lore. There's plenty of surprises right up to the end. They even left us with a debate on a particular character's fate. Considering how well the same strategy worked for both versions of Silent Hill 2.
This was a double edge sword thing. Many people going to feel like "Oh come on!!!" I know others would like to believe in Mike's theory about their fate. What about a possible third option? She found a way to survive despite being a particular epic event with virtually 0% survival rate. In other words, she found a way to not die when the Upside Down was no more.
I know such an conclusion would bag so many questions with no enough answers. At the same time, they went this far with everything prior. Eleven herself is among the most powerful beings in the series. It's possible she might've noticed a weird loop hole allowing her to survive that. A particular multiversal Marvel show had a corrupted Doctor Strange that survived an universe collapsing on him.
Sometimes you gotta believe or just accepts the impossible can be done. Suddenly majority of the show makes even more sense with that logic. It isn't a perfect show by any means. There actually doesn't exist many shows I personally considered to be perfect. The last thing I wanna do is in a sense disrespect Stranger Things by naming some of those shows.
I will say this though easily among the greatest Netflix shows I ever seen!!! This went from a show with such an reputation I didn't wanna considered watching to thank god I gave it a chance. This show is absolutely amazing at nearly everything it does. Other than later seasons being broken up releasing em. My other huge issue is sometimes a little too much going on.
Even with the final season it eventually balanced itself out. They went for a much deeper story telling for it's final season. I also felt this show can't be copied neither recreated in anyway. It is essentially a rather unique show that brought many people together. Just like what eventually happened on the show itself.
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