I'm a sucker for 80s nostalgia, so I was excited when I heard about Stranger Things. The show is a homage to the movies and books of that decade, with references to Stand By Me, The Goonies, E.T., Poltergeist, Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien, Commando, among many others. It's good, thrilling popcorn entertainment that, no, is not the best series ever created, but does the job of keeping you entertained and interested.

The one thing I really like about this series is how humanized all the main characters are. You have the four main protagonists, geeky preteen boys who live by the codes of the comic books they read. They communicate on walkie talkies, transport themselves on dirt bikes, snack on pudding, and basically know all the "secret spots" of their Anytown USA setting. You have the "little miss perfect" older sister who rebels for the first time and dates the popular jock. You have the divorced mother who is barely keeping it together while raising her two sons. You have the older brother who doesn't trust authority. You have the moody cop who hates his current life. Then, of course, you have Eleven ("El"), the superhuman little girl who wants a normal life and some Eggos. The acting is actually very well done and you immediately grow to like all the characters, except maybe the bullies.

I do have a few bones to pick. One, some of the writing is weak and not fully flushed out, resulting in stories not going anywhere, some disappearing without notice, and others slightly corny and clichéd, which at times can be charming (this is suppose to be the 80s, after all), and other times eye rolling. Also, some of the action seems anti-climatic, with resolutions seemingly way too easy. The other thing too is the show toes a thin line between homage and plagiarism. I think for the most part it keeps the balance, but some parts it gets dangerously close. I also have some concerns of this going another season. This seems more mini-series than not, but I'm curious as what direction the show will go in the new season. Will it be the same story and characters? Same characters and new story? New stories and new characters? I guess we wait and see.

Overall, Netflix put together a great summer series. Heat warming, thrilling, nostalgic, I wish we could find that creativity of Spielberg, King, Craven and Lucas, among others, of the 80s that resulted in some of the most original work out there instead of superhero and remakes over and over.