Stranger Things - Season 4

The Duffer bros reveal history, explain and clarify, shock and amaze. Despite the bother of a series of ritual murders, season four makes it to a grand finale, tying up all the loose ends in an unbelievable ending that leaves the door wide open for lots more adventures. I was surprised by the number of dead bodies and horrifying injuries and the mind-pitting duels are done excellently. The perfect accompanying music is enhanced by hits from the eighties, my favorite being Master of Puppets. P.S.: And we get a whole lot of other period details, be it Conan’s Sword, King’s Talisman and the series has at last reached the year of my birth, 1986! (15.07.2022)

I don’t know how they do it, but every new season of Stranger Things has been the best so far, and the fourth is no exception. It was amazing to watch how the Duffers explained all they could, how thoughtful it felt (I wonder if they had planned it that way from the beginning or not, either way I'm happy), and how it wasn't the least bit overcomplicated or stilted. But mainly, it was a joy to follow the characters – all of them! The old, the new, the good, the bad... Without exception, everyone was great and no one was the least bit annoying. The division into teams turned out to be a great idea, the heroes got into unusual situations (how is it possible that the show doesn't betray itself with all those ideas, but always comes up with something new). When they were supposed to entertain me, they entertained me, when I was supposed to worry about them, you bet I was worried. It's hard to imagine where the fifth (and I believe final) season may go next, but I'm happy to go there too. (03.07.2022)

The biggest phenomenon of Netflix and these days, which is experiencing a similar hype as Game of Thrones or Squid Game. Once again it is a great retro horror spectacle that is hard to fault. The Duffer brothers are smart, and Stranger Things is already one of the highest rated horror series ever. Season 4 brings an interesting villain, Vecna – I praise the unpleasant appearance and the original way of killing (breaking bones in the air was awesome), and I liked his background and plan. Of the new characters the most interesting are Eddie, who will please Metal fans, and Jason the teen bully. I was impressed by the splitting of the story into several lines (similar to GOT) where some are less interesting (Winona Ryder didn't amuse me much and both Will and Mike, except for the emotional scene in the car, also had weaker arcs), but the line with El is again perfect, and she finally gets her powers back (that bothered me about the previous season). The best is without a doubt the line with Hooper with Kamchatka, Alaska and demogorgons. There were dialogues, action, a immersive atmosphere, everything in abundance. What I love about Stranger Things is the big budget and the many references to older horror films; the fact that the series is in the vein of A Nightmare on Elm Street is a prime example of this, not to mention the touch of Lovecraft. We'll see how the creators handle the final 5th season, but everything is in good hands and I believe we'll get a worthy ending to another great era. 8.5/10. (08.07.2022)