Stranger Things: My TV and Netflix Review

Stranger Things is an American sci-fi horror web TV series written, created, directed, and co-executive produced by The Duffer Brothers. This series was originally released in Netflix on July 15, 2016 with 8 worth-to-watch episodes. The time frame was set in the 1980s that creates a homage to pop culture during this decade. Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, USA, where the story focuses on the investigation into a sudden disappearance of a young boy named Will, following amid the supernatural events occurring around the town including the appearance of a psychokinetic girl named Eleven, who helped the 3 boys who were a friend to Will, in searching for his lost.

The cast in this series includes one of the most promising actress in the Hollywood named Winona Ryder. Award-winning actress Winona Ryder (Amanda Greyson of Star Trek / Call of Alien Resurrection / Mina Murray of and Elisabeta of Bram Stroker’s Dracula / Kim of Edward Scissorhands) played the role of Joyce Byers, a mother of a 12-year old boy named Will and a teenager named Jonathan Byers. She was divorced to her ex-husband named Lonnie, played by Ross Partridge (David Lamb of Lamb / Matt of Baghead). Another award-winning actor named David Harbour (Dexter Tolliver of Suicide Squad / Robert Dalton of Banshee / Jay Price of Snitch / Scanlon of The Green Hornet / Dracula of Awake / Randall Malone of Brokeback Mountain / Dock Worker of war of the Worlds / Gregg Beam of Quantum Solace) played the role of Jim Hopper, chief of Hawkins Police Department who was divorced to his wife after the demise of his young daughter who died of cancer that caused him into alcoholism lapse. He helped Joyce Byers in search of her lost son.

Finn Wolfhard (Jordie Pinsky of Supernatural / Zoran of The 100 / Richie Tozier of IT) played the role of Mike Wheeler, son of Karen, younger brother of Nancy, and one of Will Byers three friends, who was described as an intelligent and conscientious student that is committed to his friends. He is the closest one to Eleven. Eleven was played by a Spanish born young actress who moved to Florida. Her name is Millie Bobby Brown (young ALice of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland /  Madison O’Donnell of Intruders / Ruby of Grey’s Anatomy). Her role as Eleven, is a young girl with psychokinetic abilities and a limited vocabulary. She became friends to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas — Mike’s three closest friends. It is eventually unveiled that she may be Jane Ives, the biological daughter of Terry Ives. She escaped from Hawkins Laboratory where she was experimented to search for a hideous monster from the other dimension, which they called “Upside Down”.

Gaten Matarazzo (Finn of The Blacklist) played the role of Dustin Henderson, one of Will Byers’ three friends, who has cleidocranial dysplasia (a congenital disorder that mostly affects the development of bones and teeth), that caused him to lisp or perform sigmatism — a speech impediment that causes a person to misarticulates sibilants  (consonants at the beginning of the English words like sip, zip, ship, chip, and jump and the second consonant in vision). He is toothless on his upper jaw.

Caleb McLaughlin (Jay-jay of Shades of Blue) played the role of Lucas Sinclair, one of Will Byers’ three friends, who was wary of Eleven, yet befriended later on. Penelope Cruz look-alike young actress named Natalia Dyer (Clarissa Granger of Hannah Montana: The Movie / Davina of I Believe in Unicorns) played the role of Nancy Wheeler, daughter of Karen, older sister of Mike, and girlfriend of Steve Harrington. She was desperate to find her lost friend named Barbara. British actor and Leonardo di Caprio look-alike Charlie Heaton (Mark of As You Are / Stephen of Shut In / Sam Guthrie aka Cannonball in the upcoming 2018 X-Men: The New Mutants) played the role of Jonathan Byers, older brother of a lost boy named Will, and the son of Joyce Byers. He is considered an outsider at school, a quiet teenager, and an aspiring photographer, who is very close to his mother and brother.

Cara Buono (Edith Banner of Hulk / Faye Miller of Mad Men) played the role of Karen Wheeler, mother of Nancy and Mike. Award-winning actor Matthew Modine (Foley of Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises/ Jefferson Billings of Transporter 2 / Captain Taylor of In The Deep) played the role of Martin Brenner, a scientist who is in charge of Hawkins Laboratory who led the experimentation on Eleven, who keeps on searching at her lost.

The lost boy named Will Byers is played by Noah Schnapp (Charlie Brown of The Peanuts Movie / Roger Donovan of Bridge of Spies). He vanishes after encountering the monster that escaped through a rift to the Upside Down, an alternate dimension that was discovered by the Hawkins Laboratory scientists. Joe Keery (Cole of Molly’s Game / Jackson of Slice / Emmett of Chicago Fire) played the role of Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler’s boyfriend, a popular student at the high school, who ostracized Jonathan Byers, though comes to regret the latter.

This Netflix web series has won 9 awards up to date. Stranger Things received an award under American Film Institute as Top 10 TV Programs of the Year, Best Sound Editing on its third episode (Chapter Three: Holly Jolly) by David Klotz under Golden Reel Awards, Outstanding Music Supervision – Television to Nora Felder under Hollywood Music in Media Awards, TV Show of the Year and Best Actor in a TV Show to Millie Bobby Brown under MTV Movie & TV Awards, Episodic Television, Drama to Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen & Iain Paterson under Producers Guild of America, Best New Media Television and Best Younger Actor on a Televsion Series to Millie Bobby Brown under Saturn Awards, and to main cast as Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series under Screen Actors Guild Awards. This series has also lots of nominations and other pending nominations for awards.

On August 31, 2016, Netflix renewed the series for a second season with 9 episodes, which is set to be released this upcoming October 27, 2017. No wonder this web series remains to be one of my personal sci-fi web series shows. With mixed genres of horror, comedy, fantasy, science fiction and drama, this will surely gape your mouth with an awe and excitement. Truly produced to amaze its viewers plus the time frame was set in 1980s, it will really put us into a glimpse of the past decades, where cassette tapes are one of the source of musical bliss. No doubt, this series garnered lots of awards and positive reviews. Another remarkable web series aired by Netflix along with some other Marvel comic book superheroes introduction like Marvel’s Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, The Defenders, etc.

You guys must watch this series, as I strongly recommended. Every episode is really worth to watch. If ever this one will be filmed into a movie, I think it will nail it into Academy Awards. Two thumbs up!!!