Stranger Things season 2 surpassed the first season. I have to write something after reading several reviewers who said that the story is predictable and clichéd. What they don't understand is that is not important. The creators of Stranger Things know how to tell a good story, they recognise that it comes from strong characters and that what gives a story richness is the strength of the characters in the first place and from there, their interaction, the story and plot is driven by the characters acting true to themselves. In a great story the plot may be predictable but that is for the very reason that as you come to know who the characters are you can see how they will act. Situations then become of great interest as you feel almost as if you are a part of the story, because in your mind you feel the characters are real and you place yourself alongside with them and 'live' the story with them. To call this cliché betrays a lack of empathy with the characters. This can come about if the characters are undeveloped and remote. But in a story such as Stranger Things the characters are consistently strong and believable and earn your empathy. This gives you faith to invest more of your attention to the drama, draws you into the story. It is clichéd because every great story has always done this. This is the essence of great story telling. What is important is whether or not a movie, book, TV series, piece of music has soul. If it comes from the right place then it can take you on a journey, a real journey of discovery into yourself just as the creator went on a journey into themselves to create it. Too much modern art and culture is calculated, from the intellect, it is empty. No matter how good the execution is it is still empty in the end and cannot leave a lasting impression. Stranger Things is destined to become a modern classic of the TV series genre. Needless to say it is also very well executed in all departments too, from the acting to the music, the cinematography, the direction. It has no pretensions, it is what it is and it is very very good! I want more entertainment like this and less like the last film i reviewed which was Blade Runner 2049 which i think is symptomatic of what is wrong with Hollywood. Over calculated and pretentious instead of just real and heartfelt. Stranger Things gets my highest rating a 9/10.