Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers

Writer/directors The Duffer Brothers pay homage to the fantasy series and films they (and I) enjoyed while growing up, with a particular leaning towards the work of Steven Spielberg. Set in the '80s, Stranger Things takes place in small town America (Indiana, renowned for all things eerie), where a group of teenage nerds find themselves involved in the search for missing friend Will, who has had the misfortune of encountering an escaped experiment from a local scientific research centre. While hunting for their pal, the kids encounter Eleven, a strange girl who is on the run, pursued by 'bad people'.

With children as their protagonists, the Duffers immediately set the '80s Spielbergian tone, and they continue the retro-vibe with parallels to Poltergeist (the missing child only able to communicate via technology) and similarities to ET (dysfunctional family, kids on BMX bikes), as well as numerous references to other genre classics (most noticeably, posters glimpsed on bedroom walls) and a wonderful synthesizer score. All of this will prove a lot of fun for fans of '80s pop culture, but with strong performances all round (even Winona Ryder isn't as annoying as usual), engaging characters, and a neat mystery, Stranger Things should appeal to viewers of all ages.

Eleven is the most promising prospect on this series. Interesting enough to see the next episode.

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.

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.

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.