I’ve covered the first three series of Stranger Things in an earlier posting, but the fourth series, a whopping 13 hours including a two and a half hour finale, probably merits an entry of its own. The Duffer Brothers beloved Netflix fantasy might have seemed like a copycat Stephen King on first appearance, but well-cast leads, 80’s nostalgia, iconic needle drops, a strong feminist subtext and some genuinely fearsome monsters seemed to hit a sweet-spot for streaming audiences. So much that the season two episode-drop left cinema halls empty, allowing the streaming tail to briefly wag the dog of cinema. Even the most pumped-up series sag after a while, but what’s remarkable about Stranger Things 4 is that this was easily the tightest entry of the expanding franchise so far.
We pick up the threads from the shopping-mall carnage of the first film; Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) is heartbroken by the loss of Hopper (David Harbour), but he somehow turns up in a Russian gulag and manages to get a message back to her. Joyce sets off in pursuit, and that leaves the kids to their own devices, and without a family home to defend, Stranger Things 4 breaks out of the Hawkins, Indiana setting of the first three series. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) faces up to her backstory as the experiment of Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), who (it isn’t a huge spoiler to reveal) turns out to be her actual father, and a final confrontation ensues. Meanwhile the gang make various forays into the murky world of the Upside Down, where trouble-maker Eddie Munsen (Joseph Quinn) is in conflict with the monstrous Vecna and his psychic mind-flayer. Can the gang save Eddie and keep the Lovecraftian monsters of the Upside Down firmly out of our world?
With a bloated budget bigger than any movie out this year, a massive, globe-trotting, inter-dimensional canvas and a sprawling run-time, Stranger Things 4 should be winding-down by now, but it’s fair to say that rising stars Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton and Gaten Materazzo are now indelibly burnt into the pop-culture consciousness. They’re supported by some smart writing; the way that the kids use a video-store computer to track down their prey based on the titles of his rentals is ingenious, and clichés are avoided throughout. But the structuring and weighting of the various plot-lines is next-level stuff; each story is engaging, and while over-stuffed, Stranger Things 4 is all killer and no filler.
As with the recent film version of Stephen King’s IT, the magic of the Stranger Things franchise is likely to dissipate as the kids grow older and the lightning-in-a-bottle appeal of the original line-up fades. But if the first three seasons were remarkably consistent, Stranger Things 4 is likely to be the franchise peak, with spin-off projects, stage-plays and all kinds of other continuations unlikely to hold the same appeal. If nothing else, it’s great to see 80’s stars like Ryder, Modine and ‘My Two Dads’ Paul Reiser not just back in action, but front and centre in a story that undoubtedly and deservedly appeals to kids of all ages.
I loved this latest season. I still think Season 1 is the best but this is a close second. Yes, the final two episodes were a bit too long but it was a gorgeous looking production with genuinely good acting by the large cast.
Is the correct answer! I was impressed by the way they span each story and character out. Don’t often say well played Netflix…but they played their best card with some impact.
Never seen any of it though I have Netflix.
I agree this was the bets the show has been since season 1 by a long shot, and I really enjoyed the plot line of Eddie, Steve, Dustin, Robin et al hunting the demon and having upside down shenanigans. But the rest felt too dragged out and self indulgent. Not bad, but like it was all spin-off show material that wasn’t entirely necessary, save for Eleven’s ordeal. A bit too self indulgent for me.
Eleven’s ordeal was the centerpiece for sure, and they really gave it time and space. But a 13 hour epic was always going to have some baggy sections, and the overall momentum of the various narratives gets it over the line. In terms of fan service, they seem to have managed the trick of expanding the universe without selling out or compromising the core of the show, so I was prepared to overlook any dull patches. Most franchises would kill for this kind of careful, studied development.
I suppose I’ll get round to it at some point as I watched the other 3, but can’t remember them so well so would have to start at the beginning and I can’t be arsed.
There’s good recap videos on YouTube, so maybe save it for a rainy day…
That’s an idea.
First Season very nice, second boring copycat of the first, third joyful and fun and the fourth… Boring again. Good point is I’ve let out my Kate Bush’s records.
Some points of agreement here; second was the least of them for sure, but the third got it back on track. The sprawl; I guess you either get carried along with it or not, but the fourth worked for me. A bit heavy on the Kate Bush for sure, and if you’re not digging the whole caboodle, it must feel like it’s going on forever…
Netflix = Nope. Despite all the buzz it’s gotten can’t say I’ve ever even been tempted by this.
If you want to waste you time with Shakespeare and Irson Welles then that’s your business, but no one will have heard of them in a few years time…
Irving Wells. He’s canonical.
I’m sorry to hear that, hope things improve for him.
Some day, when Netflix goes bankrupt and their catalog is bought out by Amazon, I’ll watch this. I’m really interested, but not enough to join up with netflix…
I have watched every episode, it’s good, and suitable for you…
yoooo hoooo
Is the correct answer.
Is this a reply to me or are the comments on Dix’s site going wild again?
Yes.
sigh you fit in just perfectly around here.
and I have no idea what yoo hoo is supposed to mean or why Dix says its the correct answer…
Because Riders is always up for explosions and action!