Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers

This is good pilot episode as it set out everything we are to expect from the rest of the season. well casted. good acting. love the 80s music and sets/costumes as well. I'll definitely watch the rest as it got me hooked.

So this is where it all starts. I'll be giving a spoiler free review of every episode, covering stuff as briefly as I can.

Okay, so Netflix outs another series with lofty expectations to match. This time, it's the 80s and a small town, Hawkins, gets to be the centre of suspense and drama. We see the world from the eyes of four junior school kids, who are the best of friends with curious minds. One of them gets involved in an intricated plot and the rest have to up their courage and suspend their disbelief to help him survive.

The first thing that you all will notice (and instantly love) is the score. It can be sensed that they put in a lot of effort to capture the 80s horror circuit synth track feel and drama hooks. The cinematography meanwhile, knocks it out of the park with brilliant camera-work and angle photography. I must say that the Duffer brothers (the makers of the show and directors of the entire season) deserve all the praise they get for igniting the perfect mix of nostalgia and entertainment.

All the child actors are phenomenal (you have to see it to believe it), and among adults, Winona Ryder and Cara Buono give very dedicated and convincing performances. The highlight overall though, is the youngling Millie Brown. Her act requires more work with facial expressions and body gestures than dialogues, and throughout, she nails this difficult task with bravado and flawlessness.

Overall, I'd say that the pilot episode definitely succeeds in its task of getting the audiences hooked. Verdict: 9/10.

A good start of the best series ever. Loved the performances

I'm not very quick on picking up new shows even when there is quite much hype about it. I guess I'm the kind of guy who likes to stay with his old favorites, and I'm not very persistent viewer of TV-shows (I still haven't seen farther than 6th season of my all time favorite 'The X-Files'). 'Stranger Things' was recommended to my by one of my colleagues who knew my interest in supernatural, 1980s, Stephen King and 'The X-Files'. I have to say I wasn't disappointed after watching the first two episodes and now I'm hooked.

The start is quite slow, but the characters are likeable, the atmosphere and tension are present to keep the viewer interested. The show is taking place in 1980s and it has the nice authentic feel of classic '80s horror movies (that authentic feel is something that most nostalgia driven movies fail to capture), so the shot of nostalgia is another strong reason to give 'Stranger Things' a shot. Wonderful synth score has a lot to do with adding more eeriness to the autumn forests surrounding the small town Hawkins.

Acting is great altogether, but besides Millie Bobby Brown's marvelous portrayal of Eleven, Winona Ryder's outstanding job as Joyce Byers definitely needs mentioning.

After first episode I was hooked and after second, I think, I might be an addict.

It is always hard to not expect a lot when the hype is so great, having heard nothing but good things about it from trusted friends. Also if the concept is so appetising and if the genre appeals (it did me). 'Stranger Things' in particularly its first season was a truly excellent show at its very best, and while it is not as good now as it was there is still enough to make it one of Netflix's better shows along with 'The Crown' and prime-'House of Cards' (Seasons 1-4).

"Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers" is a captivating start, and not only is it hugely effective setting things up and introducing all the chess pieces but it is clear what kind of show and tone that 'Stranger Things' was aiming for. Almost everything works here in "Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers" and it already feels remarkably well settled, not always the case for shows this early on where it can take time to find its groove. Already the groove here feels found.

The production values are superb. Very stylish and atmospheric, with some truly beautiful images that one can't believe such high quality comes from a Netflix show. Not to mention the highly impressive special effects that put a good deal of big budget films in recent years to shame. The music has a wonderful 80s nostalgic vibe while also being quite haunting, enhancing the atmosphere beautifully.

Writing is thought-probing and has a lot of brains and heart. The humour is gentle but very subtly witty and funny, while there is a poignancy (without being too sentimental) and tension. The story sets things, both in events and tone, up and does this incredibly well, while always being intriguing. With suspenseful mystery, darkly creepy horror, inventive sci-fi and 'Stand By Me'/'The Goonies'-like nostalgia, without being tonally muddled.

Characters are already very well written and even better in the acting stakes. While most of the adult cast do wonderfully, it's the younger cast that are even better. The standouts being Finn Wolfhard and particularly Millie Bobby Brown (such an expressive actress in a beyond-her-years subtle way), if they continue to act this way and be wise with their career choices they are very likely to have big careers.

Although some have praised Winona Ryder, for my tastes however she was a little too melodramatic here.

Overall, excellent start. 9/10