Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers

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

So i finally decided to watch this show, and.after this first episode, i am hooked! The premise is ingaging and it is very much about the mysteries! You know something is going on, but you don't know what! The child actors are also doing a great job! If you, like me, haven't watched this show yet, i suggest you do it now!

Mornings are for coffee and contemplation says Chief Hopper (Harbour). And the debut episode of Netflix'd latest offering certainly leaves a lot to contemplate.

The setting is 80's Indiana as the show opens with an ominous scene and notable presence which sets the tone nicely leading to the vanishing of Will Byers (Schnapp).

The stars are 3 three dungeons and dragons loving kids embroiled in their own quest to find their missing friend. The three boys Mike, Dustin and Lucas (Wolfhard, Matarazzo, McLaughlin) are at the centre of the show and fill their roles brilliantly. The chatacters are the usuall high school nerds seen many times before, but it's their combined comradeship that is their strength. The bounce off each other seamlessly and they really out shine the adults of the show at times, often showing more eagetness to find their friend. Mike especially has a breakout scene before the boys initiate their search.

The adult cast compliments the kids nicely. Joyce (Ryder) plays the panicked single mother. She spends much of the episode almost not facing the gravity of the situation, but following a mysterious phone call she breaks out her shell and the hysteric mom comes flooding out, in an emotional scene with her elder son Jonathan (Heaton). Chief Hopper is reluctant early on to get involved the story but this grows greatly after a revelation to his back story. He is a lot more subtle against Joyce's panic driven mum but no less valuable to the cast and has a lot of room to grow in the story.

The final notable cast member is Elle/11 (Brown) and my pick for the most exciting entity of the show. Shows up (not alone) as Will goes missing, very little to say but it's her actions that build intrigue into the character.

There is a minor teenage love story here with Steve and Nancy (Keery and Dyer) which I am sure will connect to the main plot soon enough.

From the Poltergeist-esque opening to the Goonies style friendship. This is a direct throw back to the 80's. Even down to the music and credit font's. Some may say it is outdated in 2016. But giant walkie talkies and biking adventures will always be cool.

The opening and closing minutes were faultless and with about 10 minutes combined outline the entire show leaving this writer eager for more. I can't fault any of the cast who each gave us a good idea of what their character is about. The Chief remains the adult with the most potential with Elle clearly being positioned at the centre of all these Things which by design promise to get even Stranger from here.

There is definitely a lot more contemplation to come...i'll grab the coffee.

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

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.