‘Stranger Things: Season 4 – Vol. 1’ Review (Netflix)
With Covid holding things up, it feels like forever since we got a new Stranger Things. Now though as the first part of season 4 has finally arrived, our nostalgia fix is finally here. The question of course is, was it worth the wait?
With events split between three groups in this season, there is plenty going on with everybody. Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) lack of powers and the seeming loss of Hopper (David Harbour) complicate things, but when a new danger arrives with new victims in sight, a face from the past may be the answer to Eleven’s problems.
While there is plenty going on in season 4, for the first few episodes it actually feels quite slow. Thankfully there are reasons for this, especially the fact that Eleven without her powers now finds herself to be the victim of bullying. It’s hard to say much more than that because to do so would create spoilers.
What we have with season 4 of Stranger Things though is a return to familiar ground with the nostalgia it creates. This time we have a focus on eighties horror with the big bad feeling like it is heavily influenced by Nightmare on Elm Street, which is further pushed by the fact Robert Englund, Freddy himself, is in this season.
The nice thing about Stranger Things: Season 4 is that there is almost a fairy tale edge to the telling of the story. There is a mystery waiting to be solved, and a nice touch this time is that this mystery focuses on Max (Sadie Sink) for the most part, and she really shines when given centre stage.
When it comes to Hopper (David Harbour) it is nice to see that Murray (Brett Gelman) makes a welcome return to work with Joyce in working to solve what happened to him. Again, no spoilers here, but Harbour and Ryder work really well as a duo with the right mix of seriousness and comedy to give this season some lighter moments.
The power of Stranger Things is that the audience loves the group as a whole, including newer members who are introduced. This season we have Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) the dungeon master who at first appears to be the new bully for the group. He is a character that becomes easy likeable though and by the end of volume 1 is a welcome addition, though we’ll have to see if he survives through Volume 2 which is only a month away.
While it is questionable whether the extended episode lengths for season 4 of Stranger Things are really needed, the added space for the story to breathe does provide a strong story that does contain a real mystery to be solved. I will admit I did work out much of the twist by the final episode but it all fits together well and explains a lot of the mysteries of the show as a whole. Now to see what volume 2 brings to the table.
***** 5/5
Stranger Things: Season 4 – Vol. 1 is available on Netflix now.
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