Critical Condition: Stranger Things 2

Stranger Things 2 | Netflix, from today

➢ “The much anticipated second season of Stranger Things is even stranger than the first, at least in terms of plot twists and endearing references to fantasy films from the ’80s … While others may try to imitate what the Duffers are doing, it’s harder than it may seem. If anything, the pair have moved the game forward in the second season by making the show scarier without losing the wise innocence of ’80s films as embodied by a bunch of kids, riding around Indiana on bikes in the middle of a real adventure.” — San Francisco Chronicle.

➢ “Though it takes two or three episodes for the various story lines to fully kick into gear, Stranger Things 2 is a suspenseful, thoroughly satisfying follow-up that goes to emotionally deeper places than its predecessor did … The scope of the storytelling broadens and becomes more ambitious, which reflects both a heftier budget and the sequel-making impulse to go bigger during round two.” — New York magazine.

➢ “Stranger Things 2 is quite good and, if your expectations are in check, largely satisfying. The Duffer Brothers fall into very few traps of self-importance or self-awareness and they deliver a second season with an expanded assortment of ’80s influences, an expanded cast of instantly embraceable characters and some expanded Stranger Things mythology without the bloat that inevitably dooms sequels … The first few chapters may have some tablesetting slowness, but they have strong cliffhangers pushing from one episode to the next, building to a breathless finale.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢ “There are missteps in the second season, many of them revolving around thin or unfortunate writing for some of the new characters. But once you get past the clunky first few installments — which largely restate much of what occurred last season and set up plot points that were easily inferred from the trailers — the drama’s momentum picks up noticeably. As fine as the show’s justly lauded young cast is, the adult actors — especially Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery — anchor every psychological nuance with subtle skill and ease.” — Variety.

➢ “This season is set in 1984, the same year that Gremlins was satirising every genre trope that Stranger Things treats as High Gospel. So there is no excuse for wheelspinning through tired story beats. But maybe you think that’s the point, that the oddly gutless storytelling reflects how safely the show has hermetically sealed itself off from the stresses of today. In lieu of a second season, Netflix has thrown a nine-hour Stranger Things party, watch along on social media, click here if you recognise the reference!” — Entertainment Weekly.