BigDingus

This series took entirely too long to get to S5, but this episode was basically an entire movie.

Prior to S7, the Game of Thrones showrunners promised that the final 2 shortened seasons of the show would be worth it, as every episode would be bigger, longer & basically like their own movies. No, plenty of episodes were still 45 - 50 mins, and many episodes felt like they were rushing to the end.

This is the complete opposite of that. S5 of Stranger Things is doing what I wanted GoT to do. It's steadily ramping up to the conclusion, while still delivering on the smaller, more personal character moments. It hasn't just devolved into some third act Marvel VFX spectacle, though we've got some of that too.

There's still mysteries to uncover, there's still the Hawkins crew vs the dumb military & scientists. They've even managed to make the Demigorgons scary again. It's not all Vecna or Mind Flayer stuff. They're letting the smaller moments cook while building towards the conclusion.

Yes, there's still plenty of CGI & action, but it's all serving the plot. I'm just impressed this final episode of the first batch of episodes managed to be nearly an hour & a half of pure cinema.

It's a shame that this is one of the last great Netflix shows from the era when they cared more about quality originals over mass produced, algorithm-driven "content." Gone are the days of House of Cards, Travelers, Mind Hunter, The OA, Orange is the new Black, Dark, Altered Carbon (S1), etc.

And when the finale of this ends, it'll be the end of an era. At least they've managed to keep up this show's quality so far. If the finale is as good as this mid-season episode, this will go down as one of the best sci-fi series ever.

The trailer got me interested in the mystery right off the bat, but I read the negative reviews & moved on. Majority of reviews were good, but I always checkout negative reviews to see if they share something in common, and if that something will be an issue with me.

I didn't see it in theaters, then saw it was available to rent just now. Read user reviews, to prep myself, then saw everyone saying Act 3 was a letdown & didn't stick the landing. So when I made the decision to watch, I went in knowing the last 1/3 would be a disappointment, but at least I'd get a decent mystery movie until then.

That's why I'm shocked to be here writing this review, as I loved this movie... 3rd act included!

Now I'm not going to sit here & tell you everyone will be satisfied or to ignore the negative reviews. If anything, pay more attention the negative reviews than mine, then decide whether it's still worth a watch.

Personally, I was most concerned the ending would be disappointing because it'd leave things unresolved. Nope, not really. Sure, there's some secondary questions you could ask, but the main mystery posed in the trailer IS resolved.

It also doesn't shy away from the supernatural (which I enjoy), and the way the story unfolds keeps you hooked the entire time. I like how the separate elements all converge to one point, both for the audience & for the characters.

Maybe people don't like that the ending had a semi-humorous tone to it? I mean, it's still serious what happens, but the way it's presented is deliberately meant to be humorous. For me, it felt like a well-earned sigh of relief for us & for our protagonists. And to be clear, when I say "ending," I'm referring to the last few minutes of the film. The whole ending sequence was not humorous or filmed in a lighthearted way at all, just the very last bit.

Lastly, I would've been happier to see another 5 minutes tacked on to cover some of the aftermath, but that's really the only knock I have against the ending. Other than that, no complaints.

I spent most of my review focusing on the last act, mainly because it seems most are in agreement that the first 2 acts are good. I was also intentionally vague, as I really don't want to spoil anything not shown in the trailers.

I will say this is primarily a mystery film, with horror elements coming from the building tension experienced throughout the town. That's not to say there's no horror at all, but that's not the focus. A few scenes are disturbing, and there are supernatural elements going on, but that's not the bulk of it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed it & was pleasantly surprised. I very much got my money's worth & would recommend it to people who don't mind if the journey is better than the destination. For the record, the journey & destination were both great to me, but I went in expecting that not to be the case (and was ok with that risk).

In conclusion: 8.5/10 - Would Recommend.