Have long been trying to skip this series, for was not very enthused by the plot of the pilot episode. Also, the posters carrying gooey looking creatures didn’t help either. It took a really long sleepless night to start watching this series and before I knew it, was onto season 2!! The USP of the series as credited by multiple reviews already is in its charming setting of the 80’s. It reminds of Steven Spielberg’s ET and many other kid movies of that era. To support that, the casting of the 4 main kids, which has worked brilliantly and deserves an Emmy or two. All the cast members are gems in their own regard and brings to real their characters, making them relatable, lovable and believable at the same time. Fact that as the seasons grow, the growth of the cast also helps in taking the story forward. But one does wonder about the innocence lost for those kids, which is no longer a discussion topic for any kid for that matter. The childhood innocence of kids in early teens as they mature into adults is something very unique and precious. Having spent those hours on the sets of this series, wonder if these kids will ever have a normal life at all!! Hollywood has unearthed so many cute and talented kids who had fallen off the wagon and have spiraled down, within years after their claim to fame movie or series ends. It happens with those adult actors as well, who don superhero or specific character across movies and run a successful franchise. Be it Spiderman, James bond, Superman or even Harry potter for that matter, the actors who donned these roles and rode their way to superstardom, find it difficult to shine across any other role. People see them as the superhit character they played across any movie of theirs and very rarely does one get to break that mold and come up trumps. Even worse becomes their personal life, especially if the route to top is via independent music, about which lesser said the better!! Makes one wonder should fame be allowed as an age bound thing and restricted for kids so that they can enjoy their childhood or at the least have a normal one!!!
Coming back to the series, the first 3 seasons have episodes that are within touching distance of an hour while in the 4th one each episode runs like a movie! When there are so many things happening that has to be crammed within 10 episodes (makes one wonder, why not have it as a 12 episode series!!! Stretching it to half hour would be over kill as people will loose interest and will dilute the thrill, but couple of more episodes could’ve paced it better I felt), the highlight of it all being, they still hook you on to the happenings, no complaints actually. Each episode from the very first season, feels like reading a book which takes shapes in front of your eyes. I’ve not read much of Stephen king, especially his earlier works. But of the few I’ve read, there is a familiarity with his works as well, especially the horror portions (should a being from other dimension be called horror? Not sure on the nomenclature). The concept of upside down, how a superhero of a girl with tormented childhood, helps in closing the very portal, that she is shown to’ve opened in the later seasons, forms the crux of the story so far. How much ever she tries to close it season after season, the beings from other side manage to escape infiltrate the regular dimension of ours, infect and kill people. By the end of season four, the portal which was a small opening underneath a lab in season 1, becomes a full-fledged crater canyon spreading across the whole town. With the fifth season being mentioned as the final one, it is heading for a Game of thrones kind of finish where one can expect more characters to die, as the season progresses, only hope being, they don’t screw up the ending like GoT. The kid who plays the superhero role, is an amazing find of an actor. She emotes so well with her eyes and most of the time, has very few dialogues that are in broken English. In second season when she grows her hair back, looks so cute and has a lovely smile. May be since it is disarming and distracting, the Duffers (yes. That is a real name!!) have made her wear a close cut crop of hair. Of the rest, I like that kid playing Dustin, who looks so natural. There is a sense of familiarity with all the faces even from episode 1, which could’ve been purposeful I believe, with casting director ensuring the slight resemblance to someone known already for a quick connection. Especially the guy who plays Billy. I am not able to place him but definitely reminds of someone. Winona Ryder’s mousy quirky character feels like possibly be killed off quite early in coming season. The overall story line feels like a generous mix of Harry potter setup in a multi-dimensional world, with at times spectacular and at times normal special effects. They’ve put in real effort in churning up every episode with each one possibly budgeted like a full movie!! With almost a billion watching hours spread across the world, Netflix surely has found a winner in this series. Eagerly waiting for final season, hoping for a convincing ending!!
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