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

4. But Not Just A Nostalgia Fest

The show may wear its influences on its sleeve, and does a great job of paying homage to those that came before it, but it'd be unfair to write this series off or mark it down as a simple nostalgia fest, because there's much more to it than that.

Rather than being a simple love letter, the Duffer bros. have created a world that could very much exist in the time its placed in. Even if you don't get the majority of the references littered throughout, you'll still be able to enjoy the series because of the story its telling, the way it crafts it, and the characters it creates.

Eleven is the best of these, a mysterious, powerful force of nature, but one who's also scared and confused, of what people might do to her, and also what she might do to them. It's a tale of family and friendship, and aside from the mystery serves as a coming-of-age story for the kids involved, testing their loyalty to each other, standing up to school bullies, developing new relationships and growing up. Sure, it doesn't reinvent the wheel, but also it doesn't need to.