Stranger Things It is one of the most talked about series of the last two years. Praised by critics and the public, it came to refresh a type of story that seemed stagnant and of which not even the successful one It he could do too much. Children on the verge of adolescence, who must face external monsters and, eventually, their own demons.
The Duffer Brothers are the creators of this story, as well as those responsible for directing most of the episodes. It doesn't take too much effort to guess that these twins are fans of NA or Stephen King.
Before becoming members of the television Jet Set, they wrote and directed the film for Warner Bros. Hidden. An apocalyptic thriller starring Alexander Skargard, which went unnoticed by movie theaters.
However, M. Night Shyanalan, the celebrated director of The sixth Sense o Fragmentado, was impressed when reading the script. He immediately hired them as scriptwriters for the series Wayward Pines. These two experiences allowed them to enter the industry and get the necessary contacts to start their great project.
A forgotten town
Stranger Things Happen at Hawkins, a fictional town in Indiana, in the northeastern United States. Hawkins might as well be Derry, another fictional town in which Stephen King has set many of his terrifying tales. A population in which - as is common in this type of case - nothing ever happens.
The mysterious disappearance of William Byers it will break the tranquility of the place and unleash a whole chain of inexplicable events. Also the appearance of Once, a girl with telekinetic powers and one of the axes of the plot.
The government is always to blame
One of the merits of the Netflix series, is to successfully combine elements of various genres. He mystery and terror blends seamlessly with science fiction. All seasoned with a balanced dose of humorFar from the easy jokes that Marvel Cinematic Universe movies often fall into, for example.
What was supposed to be a US Department of Energy facility, it turned out to be a secret lab. There, scientists (with the support of powerful estates), found an interdimensional portal. This detail adds to the plot, in addition to an interesting supernatural element, conspiracy theories.
Those 80s
There are those who like to criticize the 80s. The most radical even classify it as the lost decade. But, despite the visceral hatred that some may feel, these 10 years uncover nostalgia in more than one. As we can see, today many successful series are set or full of references to life during the penultimate decade of the XNUMXth century.
Stranger Things it is almost a manifesto about it. The historical moment is much more than a decorative element, both at an audiovisual level and within the diegesis of the story itself.
Incidental music is one of the most prevalent ingredients for achieving this effect. A direct reference to science fiction titles like Blade Runner o Tron; complemented in addition with the successes of the pop and the rock that sounded tirelessly in the radio during those years.
An unhurried plot
The Duffer brothers simmer the plot of strange thing. Little by little, they present transcendental details to the viewers, so that they progressively put together the puzzle.
To be able to bear this leisurely walk, the camera clings to a cast of actors that, in general, does not clash. Young Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gater Matarazzo, Caleb McLauglin and Noah Schnapp carry the heaviest dramatic weight smoothly.
Wynona ryder She fulfills her role as "mother mother" with note, both within the plot, as well as the visible head of the casting. Whereas David Harbor almost always limits himself to reciting his speeches, putting on an annoyed police face. Although without generating noise or distractions.
De NA a Carrie
Visual references to film classics from the 80 (also from the 70s or 90s), are well known in Stranger Things. But NA. it is undoubtedly the most visible. In each sequence where the protagonists ride bicycles, the only thing missing is the friendly and lost alien created by Steven Spielberg for the simile to become a copy.
Within the cake of "honored" also appear Carrie o It, the 1990 miniseries, the first audiovisual adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name. Other classics of the 80s that have their part are: Los Goonies, The Gremlins y Back to the Future.
Stranger Things: A tribute to the tribute?
At times, Stranger Things seems to want to pay tribute so deliberately that it ends up becoming a "tribute to a tribute." Several of the shots, as well as some dialogues, rather than retracting the audience until the 80s, only bring them closer to 2011 and the tribute that JJ Abrams made to Steven Spielberg with Super 8.
Are the second parts always bad?
Stranger Things is, among many other things, an original product; or at least it was during its first season. This statement, if one takes into account everything that has been said regarding the many references within the plot or at the visual level present in the series, seems a contradiction. But is not.
The originality lies precisely in how familiar elements are combined. Even the somewhat conventional shape of the frames within the series as a whole ends up creating a unique effect.
After the successful debut of the first season in 2016, a second part was only a matter of time. This is how a year later, during Halloween weekend, Netflix released Stranger Things 2. The Duffer Brothers and their team of librettists seemed so obsessed with continuing to surprise that in several episodes they achieved what they seemed to want to avoid at all costs: repeating themselves.
The second nine chapters of the story are full of flash backs that explain in detail a plot that does not require further explanation. And unlike what was seen in 2016, a growing number of complementary plots end up becoming inconsequential. Even so, the overall proposal is so good, that in the end you want to see more.
Image Sources: Nerdist / YouTube