Throughout the years I found it difficult to get rid of so many images in my head that came directly from some of Stephen King's novels. When I sat to watch the whole eight hours of Stranger Things I was in one of those trips of my life of which I didn't want out.
This is a film, much more than a series. You could skip the intro titles and have a seamless story told with depth, comedy, heart and wit.
From what I said above, you can tell I regard Stephen King pretty high on my list of American writers. He teamed once with the other Steve to make a series that promised something new (because the book was good) and utterly failed. So, I'd rather take King's writings than adaptations. But Spielberg's films are films, not books, and lots of them are absolutely fantastic. Borrowing from two great story-tellers and making something worth has never been easy. I'd say impossible. Because I haven't found anything even close to E.T. or "The Body" (which became Stand by Me), ever.
And what makes this new Netflix venture worth a ton of gold is that it actually gets to places you and I want to go. The characters are beautifully drawn, and then layered and painted in a way they'll stick with you for a long time.
This film, even with the slight criticism of not being perfect in some regards (like some of the songs), is a masterpiece of storytelling for kids, teens and adults. It is as enjoyable as E.T. was. So much that I want to see it on the big screen. It's not a trivial series. It's as serious as it gets.
The kids in the film are memorable, really creating a brotherhood that I wanted to be a part of. All of them have their own problems, their very clearly defined personalities and roles, their charming funny sides... they're lovable and you can relate to any of them.
Winona Rider's character is full of passion and realism in this otherwise completely fictitious tale. But, wasn't that what "It" gave us? Even with the terrible ending of the book and the miniseries, who in the world wouldn't remember Bev shooting her silver bullets in the sewer against "It"? Or the conversation between Gordie and Chris under the tree when camping by the Royal River? Lines from the heart of gold of Stephen King. Action and adventure from the mind of Steven Spielberg. But this is different. Matt and Ross Duffer created something that may have all the elements of those 80's films and novels, but with freshness and depth.
You can relate to the characters because they ARE human, they are well developed, you KNOW about them. That's King's turf. And the emotions, the adventures, the way they're captured are Spielberg's signature. But, alas! here we have both worlds in one film that will be as timeless as It was or E.T. Characters like Eleven may be part of future conversations of younger generations, as are Gordie and Chris, who will never stop moving young and adult audiences even 40 years later.
The whole success of this series is that, at last, the Duffers brought to the screen something with real soul. And that's pretty uncommon nowadays.
This is a film, much more than a series. You could skip the intro titles and have a seamless story told with depth, comedy, heart and wit.
From what I said above, you can tell I regard Stephen King pretty high on my list of American writers. He teamed once with the other Steve to make a series that promised something new (because the book was good) and utterly failed. So, I'd rather take King's writings than adaptations. But Spielberg's films are films, not books, and lots of them are absolutely fantastic. Borrowing from two great story-tellers and making something worth has never been easy. I'd say impossible. Because I haven't found anything even close to E.T. or "The Body" (which became Stand by Me), ever.
And what makes this new Netflix venture worth a ton of gold is that it actually gets to places you and I want to go. The characters are beautifully drawn, and then layered and painted in a way they'll stick with you for a long time.
This film, even with the slight criticism of not being perfect in some regards (like some of the songs), is a masterpiece of storytelling for kids, teens and adults. It is as enjoyable as E.T. was. So much that I want to see it on the big screen. It's not a trivial series. It's as serious as it gets.
The kids in the film are memorable, really creating a brotherhood that I wanted to be a part of. All of them have their own problems, their very clearly defined personalities and roles, their charming funny sides... they're lovable and you can relate to any of them.
Winona Rider's character is full of passion and realism in this otherwise completely fictitious tale. But, wasn't that what "It" gave us? Even with the terrible ending of the book and the miniseries, who in the world wouldn't remember Bev shooting her silver bullets in the sewer against "It"? Or the conversation between Gordie and Chris under the tree when camping by the Royal River? Lines from the heart of gold of Stephen King. Action and adventure from the mind of Steven Spielberg. But this is different. Matt and Ross Duffer created something that may have all the elements of those 80's films and novels, but with freshness and depth.
You can relate to the characters because they ARE human, they are well developed, you KNOW about them. That's King's turf. And the emotions, the adventures, the way they're captured are Spielberg's signature. But, alas! here we have both worlds in one film that will be as timeless as It was or E.T. Characters like Eleven may be part of future conversations of younger generations, as are Gordie and Chris, who will never stop moving young and adult audiences even 40 years later.
The whole success of this series is that, at last, the Duffers brought to the screen something with real soul. And that's pretty uncommon nowadays.