Stranger Things; Netflix Original Series Review *Non Spoilers*

I decided to watch this whole series back to back before I even knew what it was about. From the poster and the screenshots provided by Netflix, I was thinking that this was a Stephen King story that I read in the 80's, but that is not the case. I was hooked as soon as I saw the main characters playing D&D! The show is only eight episodes so it is pretty easy to binge on them (especially since I took time off from work for the week). The opening title sequence screams 1980's sci-fi/horror, and I loved it. It even had the look of an old VHS with bad tracking.

The cast does a great job throughout the entire series. At first I was worried when I saw Winona Ryder since I only liked her in Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, but after the second episode I quit thinking of her Babe Bennett from Mr. Deeds. I really enjoyed the acting of the kids since each one had a different characteristic that makes it easy to identify with them, even though we have seen a ton of movies and shows with kids who have to save the day.

I decided not to do a spoiler review since the show just premiered and since the whole season was released at once, it may take others a while to get through all eight episodes.  So would I recommend this series? Definitely. It takes all the elements that I love and wraps it up into one nice package for me. Let's go over DatBeardedBastard's checklist of awesomeness to see what this series has to offer.

DatBeardedBastard's Checklist of Awesomess!

• 1980's Setting
• D&D
• Horror Movie Posters
• BMX Bikes
• Walkie Talkies
• Parallel Universe
• Comic Book References
• Stephen King, John Carpenter, and Dean Koontz Vibes
• Cool Weapons (Spiked bats, bear traps, and sling shots to name a few)

There were times when this show made me thing of other movies and TV shows, but instead of bugging me, I was actually digging it. It had elements of E.T., Goonies, IT, Monster Squad, Super 8, and Earth to Echo.

Once I think enough time has passed I will do a spoiler review and go into more detail of what I liked and disliked. For a show that I was not anticipating or even looking forward to prior to today, it did a great job of taking me back in time where movies and TV shows were based on the experience and not what the budget was or what merchandise tie-ins are forced down our throats.

So in all I would have to give this a 9/10, and I can't wait for season 2. Until next time, DatBeardedBastard is out...