STRANGER THINGS was a pleasant surprise. It sprawled comfortably on Netflix's browsing page very recently. Needless to say, I binged all eight (8) episodes in one sitting.

STRANGER THINGS, as mentioned in several other reviews, is the "fruit smoothie" of 80s culture. Take in a tablespoon of Stephen King, a few dashes of Spielberg, and a whole lot of 80s horror/thriller culture, blend it together and you essentially have STRANGER THINGS.

To start off, the fact that this is NOT a reboot or sequel to a film or television show that debuted in the 80s time period is actually relieving. Not that I necessarily have anything against that, but this series really goes to show that an original concept can still be filled with nostalgia but have its own identity. Hopefully, that will encourage future film/series creators.

Regarding the show itself, I found myself on several occasions praising the acting (ESPECIALLY by the children), and engrossed with the plot. I can most definitely appreciate the choice of having this as a television show as opposed to a short movie. It really gave a chance to flesh things out. The plot, while relatively simple, is filled with several cliché tropes - however, they are utilized much differently, which is another thing I happened to enjoy. The "walking backwards and accidentally tripping over something" action DOES NOT lead to a death. The car engine actually STARTED. The girl actually doesn't give too much of a damn (romantically) about the nerdy/weird/outcast guy EVEN AFTER EXPERIENCING A LIFE-CHANGING SITUATION together. Again: a breath of fresh air.

My only real gripe with the show had to be the ending. However, this is all hypothetical and essentially not solid. The plot really showcases itself as a one season deal - however, the show creators already confirmed that season two would be a sequel to season 1. I felt that season one's ending should have been more conclusive as opposed to purposely leaving many loose ends to pick up in season two. HOWEVER, if season two does pick up these loose ends and thread them into something even more awesome, then it's a win-win situation and I will be happy with season one's ending. Also, to nitpick, the underlying themes of "mystery" and "folklore" seem to be muddled and messy. Individually, the themes are very strong from an episode-to- episode basis; sadly, as a whole, the show really loses these themes and you're left with a pure thriller-adventure as opposed to the cool dark sci-fi feeling.

+awesome characters

+superb acting

+engrossing plot

-possibly weak ending

-muddled direction

STRANGER THINGS - binge-worthy - 9/10