Stranger Things 3 Review
The well known and loved Netflix Original series continues with Stranger Things 3. Some time has passed, the group has settled further and it seems like the darkness hasn’t been truly stopped. This season goes a bit flashier with its style with minor scenes involving a large scale amusement park and the well loved fully 80’s embraced mall. They aim to go wild with that nostalgia, while bringing back the dark force once again. Also, New Coke, a lot of New Coke moments.
This definitely embraced the wacky style of the characters, while splitting them into smaller teams. That aspect was interesting as we got to see development for the relationships that are involved, while at the same time being somewhat odd. Its best when the teams converge, but that aspect was very limited this season. There were some neat twists, but I wasn’t necessarily a fan of how poor Steve (Joe Keery) was treated as that character can’t catch a break. That being a tie-in to the mentioned twists that occur, it was good, yet I still wasn’t a fan.
That aside, the core team was fantastic and I really liked how they used Billy (Dacre Montgomery) in this one. One final character mention was finding Erica (Priah Ferguson) to be a bit too much in this. There’s a sense of tragedy throughout this story, with it ending on some rather dark notes that worked out well for deeper sorrows. You will likely feel emotional pain and sorrow within this season.
The quality of the season was excellent, larger in scale and the CGI elements looked better than ever. There were some truly gruesome sights to behold. That being said, I was a bit confused by the lackluster motivation that the dark forces had. They had a strict motivation, but there wasn’t much depth to it at all.
The extra faction in this one was interesting, yet somewhat silly too. I didn’t mind that as it was fun to see get revealed, just was odd for some reason. Overall this was a solid viewing with no episodes that felt out of place in comparison to the last one. The acting was excellent, and there’s still that classic charm. There are many laughs, tons of product placement and some real change-ups in how the little town continued to push forward. It seems to be mostly authentic to the times, and it was nice to see the group mature more.
There were more adult type relationships and the kids dealt with their emotions, even though part of that aspect did get dropped as it progressed with only the focus being on the core two kids. Things change a lot, with the conclusion being perhaps the largest development in what everyone has faced in this town. I’m really curious on how they’ll power forward after what happens. There are some fun mysteries, good amounts of horror and more charm than ever before that just works for the better.
The Conclusion
Stranger Things 3 is a great next chapter in this epic Netflix Original series, but it doesn’t necessarily push the lore further. That’s one of the issues I have this time around is that the motivation of the darkness seemed minimal with a driving force that somewhat felt random. It was fun to see these events roll out, and this probably the most entertaining season yet.
I still had some issues with certain characters and the events that played out. I had a great time viewing it, and you’ll most likely find this to be the best entry they’ve brought so far. It’s really a great show to watch, the characters are excellent and they seemed to go darker with this one. You’ll be shocked by how everything plays out as it brings an epic element to it while still providing underlining moments of sorrow. The visuals were excellent, the mall was amazing and the town itself felt revitalized.
I do however wish they used the fairgrounds more, it seemed so intense and important for it to really become just a minor moment of the show in this season. The darkness continues, but the motivations are odd. It does branch out for some potentially unique future situations. I can’t wait for more, and to see where they go as things were left in a very open way.
Stranger Things 3 Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Content Access was Provided by Netflix
Rating Overall: 8.6
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