This tv series aims to thrill, excite and intrigue. The show, released in the UK 15th July 2016, was created by Matt and Ross Duffer. The brothers tapped into nostalgic 1980's America, with a similar production style to the likes of Stephen King. It is as though the makers of this series took Alien, IT, and a little of E.T and stuck them all together.
| Here's the series trailer, take a look! |
Plot Opening
Without giving away any plot spoilers, the story follows the mystery disappearance of Will Byers, a young boy who lives with his Mum, Joyce and his elder brother Jonathon. With another blast from the past, Joyce is played by the brilliant Winona Ryder, who has famously acted in Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.
She plays an amazing part of a grief stricken mother, who against all odds, is fighting to find her son. The chemistry that is then left between her and her other son is made unstable, with both relatives feeling devastated by their loss. They also have to deal with a low-life Father who doesn't seem to care about the old family that he has left behind.
The cast is all-star excellence. The main group of characters in the series are; Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas are all school friends. Eleven is also a main character within this group, but you'll find out more about her lower down.
After playing a long anticipated and thought out game of 'Dungeons and Dragons' the boys leave Mike's house in the dark. I loved this scene as it introduced each character well, without showing us too much depth of character. You could see which character got most annoyed, who was the problem solver and which one was most openly emotional. The iconography definitely sets the scene, especially the well renowned chopper bike.
Once the boys part ways, Will skids off road....This is where I shall leave the story. However, my reasoning for mentioning this part, is the funny comparisons the rest of the group then relate to their home town. The road where Will goes missing is called Mirkwood, tac-tics to find Will are also compared to moves in their games and there's plenty more, so watch out for those geeky inputs.
The town of Hawkins then experiences other strange goings-on, featuring E.T. style; extra-terrestrial, sci-fi in the form of Eleven, who appears to be a normal girl upon first meeting her. That is really all I can say, without giving away too much information. However, I would recommend this show to everyone who enjoys this genre and more- I was hooked from the off.
The Analysis
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| Even celebrities make time to watch it! Here's Zac Efron. |
What makes this show so good? Why should you watch it? What's all the hype about?
People love nostalgia, but not too much of it. This show has the right amount of a flashback feel, whilst using more up-to-date technology, special FX and better quality filming. It makes the show easy to watch and is therefore more immersible. I was hooked within the first 20mins so seriously not long at all. The next positive for this show, would be the story arc. Yes, some of the plot is a little predictable, but I quite enjoy that. It allows you to follow the story easily whilst still being shocked by some of the unexpected twists in there. Predictability isn't always bad. If we know there's someone or something on the loose taking people and a character is by themselves, the likelihood of them being killed/ injured is pretty high. The plot is so perfect for the target audience and even I was often lulled into a false sense of security, especially about some of the relationships in the show.
So before I even begin to talk about stereotypes, you can already see the likability of the show from it's traditional sci-fi roots, to a more relevant production now. One analysis that I can make about the characters are the great dynamics of them all. There isn't really one main stereotypical hero. I feel that all characters gain equal chance to appear; brave, scared, upset and logical. Some stereotypes can be seen, as that is how it would have been at the time the show is set, but the present day input is also great. Winona Ryder aka Joyce Byers appears mad and crazy through grief, so do many other female characters who are often stereotyped as being emotional. Yet throughout the show, you can see Joyce's strength and intellect, her open mindedness and understanding is what ultimately gets her through day-to-day. Another female character that I haven't mentioned yet is Nancy Wheeler, who at first seems shallow. On the other hand, her high schools struggles are very relatable, where popularity can often seem a priority. Originally an A grade student, she becomes mixed with the wrong crowd, due to wanting to please 'hard guy' Steve. Steve and the rest of the group are your average, slacking, skiving teenagers who almost change Nancy. However, as the show progresses, Nancy too becomes strong, overcomes a sense of 'evil' and challenges the traditional damsel in distress stereotype.
My favourite character has to be Eleven. I am blown away by Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, and her level of acting and believability. One of my favourite story themes is the chemistry between her and character Mike especially. She challenges traditional female stereotypes. Trying not to spoil the plot too much (this is however, shown in the trailer), Eleven is strong. She holds some incredible talents (as you can see, trying very hard not to reveal spoilers) which enable her to become practically an unconventional heroine in my eyes. The show features some bullies that the boys have trouble with, often targeting Dustin's speech impediment. Once Eleven comes along, things appear to change...I'll let your imagination think about what might happen there. You'll just have to go and watch it to find out. Her short hair, which originally makes her appear ill, gives her a rough edge to her, which is a complete contrast to what a 'normal' young girl would look like. Her dependency on an elder male role/ her want for a family is evident and so the depth of her character is revealed, yet I don't feel that this is just entirely because she's a girl...I think it shows her vulnerability through being young. This is reflected in other characters, which shows a base theme of the importance of a strong family unit.
You also know it's a good series when it receives 95% on 'Rotten Tomatoes' so go an check it out.
I hope you enjoyed this spoiler free tv series review. If you want more film or tv reviews let me know in the comments.
See you soon!
