Tales of the Rampant Coyote

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Impressions: Stranger Things

Posted by Rampant Coyote on August 1, 2016

StrangerThingsThis weekend, we finished watching the series (first of many seasons, I hope) “Stranger Things” on Netflix. Here are some of my impressions.

First of all — the gimmick. As I’ve often said, in all entertainment media, you need some kind of gimmick just to get attention. In the case of Stranger Things, the gimmick is that it’s an homage to the popular science fiction / supernatural films of the late 1970s and 1980s, like E.T., Poltergeist, The Goonies, Aliens, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Thing, etc. It’s set in the 1980s, contains lots of 1980s references. In particular, references to Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars series are thrown around by the younger cast members as an explanatory short-hand as they try and figure things out. They cast also includes two 80s icons — Matthew Modine and Winona Ryder.

The interesting thing is that the gimmick feels unnecessary. While it’s fun playing “guess the reference” and seeing some of the more obvious call-outs to 1980s pop culture, it almost overshadows a really solid original story and great characters. Fortunately, the references and ideas and feel of those old films are used more as an imaginative springboard into new territory, and the show can be enjoyed completely on its own merits even if you have never seen the referenced materials. (For one, I understand there are references to Altered States, a film I’ve never seen, and it didn’t impact my enjoyment at all).

On paper, it sounds like the mishmash of material, from the cute kids-movies E.T. and The Goonies to the freaky-scary-horror of A Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween, would result in nasty identity crisis for the show. This would be exacerbated by the fact that the show focuses on three different sets of characters: a group of younger kids (around 12) who are more open-minded to the seemingly impossible, teenagers with their angsty relationship issues, and adults full of grown-up emotional baggage. Amazingly, though, it all works as a cohesive whole. The broad source material comes together as a freaky, creepy whole, and the separate stories — intended, no doubt, to appeal to the broadest age groups of audiences — intersect reasonably well to form a single narrative.

The story revolves around the mysterious disappearance of boy in a small Indiana town in 1983. This coincides with the appearance of a girl called “Eleven” (whom the younger characters dub “El”) with frightening powers. A deadly government conspiracy and a terrifying extra-dimensional monster round out the plot elements.

While it wasn’t clear initially, it felt like the story was tailor-made for me. Maybe not perfectly executed, but at least aimed directly at me as the target audience. I’m an 80s kid who grew up on those films, who has been fascinated with The Twilight Zone, a Dungeons & Dragons player, and an author who has written weird paranormal fantasies about extra dimensions inhabited by creepy monsters, Β and this show was intended to hit every one of those passions in my life. I think it’s a little creepy that the showrunners have been stalking me and making individualized entertainment for me, but other than that I appreciate the effort.

While the show is probably PG fair (at least straddling the border into PG-13 territory) and is aimed towards family audiences, it’s really too frightening for younger children. As often as it channels E.T., it’s several shades darker than that Spielberg classic. It is genuinely creepy and scary in parts, and tastefully deals with some pretty grown-up subject matter.

I ended up really liking all the principle characters, especially the younger kids and Winona Wyder’s character. I thought the latter really showed Ryder’s acting chops. At first, she was just hysterical, and I wasn’t too impressed. But towards the end, she showed some real range and depth.

All-in-all, I’m joining the chorus of voices expressing a love for the show. From the trailer (below) I was interested.I don’t think the trailer does it justice, though. If you are interested in a creepy SF thriller, especially one that tries to capture the spirit and flavor of the 1980s blockbusters and cult classics, then this 8-episode series is one you really should check out if you have Netflix.

 


Filed Under: Impressions - Comments: 3 Comments to Read



  • Modran said,

    Just started last night. 2 episodes, the second felt loooonger than the first one. I’m sure many references fly by me, but there’s still a list of tropes to be checked (I mean, by the pool, come oooon…) :). We’ll see how it goes

  • Xenovore said,

    Fantastic show; we’re loving it! =)

  • Rampant Coyote said,

    πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€ πŸ˜€

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