Netflix's Stranger Things Review: 8 Ups And 3 Downs

6. The Kids Are Alright

While the adult cast do some good work here, they are completely overshadowed by their younger counterparts, with the kids providing the heart of the show.

All relative newcomers, there may be a real sense of The Goonies to the younger ones, but they also feel very real, and it's the core four who deserve the most plaudits: Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo as Mike, Lucas, and Dustin (the best of the trio), the three best friends of missing Will, and Millie Brown as Eleven, the strange young girl they find while searching for him. They're believable, funny, and (particularly in the case of Brown) showcase a range of emotions, perfectly encapsulating all the fury and fear they feel.

Will himself, played by Noah Schnapp, doesn't get as much to do, but is a convincing presence whenever he's on screen, while the teenage cast also look and act just like they should, especially Natalia Dyer as Mike's sister Nancy, and Charlie Heaton as Will's brother Jonathan. All of the kids - but especially those four first mentioned - feel like the sort of cast that would've been in the kind of movie they're pastiching here, which means they've absolutely nailed it.