Seriously, this is considered excellent story telling? I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s and the children filmed during that time were more fleshed out.

First of all, Ryder and Harbour are excellent adult actors in this film. Their tone strike a reasonable chord. The teenagers are actually fine in this as well. Not caricatures, but real individuals and it is good to see that one character (who could easily have been a throwaway boyfriend) is actually essential to the plot and a great character.

The kid actors who are the anchors of the film? Let's be real. They are so-so. The one standout is the kid with the true facial disorder. Now HE'S the best 1980's kid. Obnoxious, but loyal. Lucas, the African-American next door neighbor? Obnoxious, but also disloyal, questioning, disrespectful...The other two males---mildly interesting. Eleven (the girl)? I understand she has to play her character and Milly plays it great, but the character is disrespectful to the adult who is trying to protect her. And then what kind of characters are Max and her stepbrother? Useless additional characters.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think everything is terrible in Stranger Things. But EACH year could have been tidied up in 3 or 4 episodes. Ryder, Harbour, and even Modine in the first season, give top-notch performances.

I just wish we could root for the child actors more than what we're seeing---