Stranger Things S4 Volume 1 Review: The Most Entertaining Season So Far!

You know I had to review this one. I’ve been watching (and loving) Stranger Things since its debut season in 2016, but I honestly did not expect it to become as popular as it did. I thought it would only appeal to a certain crowd but I’m glad that I was wrong.

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Stranger Things S4 kicks off with El (Millie Bobby Brown) reeling from both the loss of the only parent she’s ever known and her powers. She, Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) have moved to sunny California for a fresh start. Back in Hawkins, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Max (Sadie Sink), Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke) are thrown back into the Upside Down by yet another malevolent force plaguing the town.

Stranger Things has always captured it’s 80s retro sci-fi/thriller style perfectly. It honestly reminds me of Goosebumps with a dash of E.T. and a hint of Stand By Me. It really makes it so nostalgic and endearing. The running theme of this season was grief and dealing with trauma and I liked how they explored those issues and also overcoming them. I also liked how they balanced the gang battling Vecna with the trials of adolescence.

We’ve watched the kids grow and we also feel like part of the gang. Speaking of, all the new characters are organically introduced. They feel like they’ve been there the whole time. There are a lot of characters this season and I felt that they did a good job of figuring out which characters needed to be together for which scenes. They all shared the screen together flawlessly even if characters like Mike and Will had a reduced role in part 1 of this season.

Hopper’s storyline was at its greatest this season and he truly is the hero El remembers him to be. I’ve always felt like casting Ryder as Joyce gave it a certain retro credibility as well. Dustin and Steve however, have always been my favourites and their bromance is adorable. The CGI, visual effects and makeup were A class. Even though the episodes are well over an hour, you hardly feel it because it’s so engrossing.

Definitely the most entertaining season so far. We discovered a lot about Hawkins and its ties to the upside-down and they did a great job of world building. Episode 4 “Dear Billy” is my favourite of Volume 1. Everything hit. From the acting to the visuals to the directing and the soundtrack (though they always have a good soundtrack) it was just mesmerising. The finale of Stranger Things S4 Volume 1 ends leaving the fate of Hawkins unknown but I’m really interested to see how they maintain this momentum.

‘Stranger Things S4 V1’ Rating – 4.5/5

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