Let's be honest... We already have Stranger Things... We already know Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max and Hopper.
So when Netflix announced an animated spin-off with the same characters, part of me was like, “Okay... what exactly are we doing here?” but after watching it, I actually had a good time.
The story takes us back to Hawkins in the winter of 1985, after the events of the second season of the original show. The gang is trying to enjoy a relatively normal life, but this is Hawkins we're talking about... Normal life doesn't exist there.
Something strange starts happening again, and the kids find themselves investigating another supernatural mystery involving new creatures and another threat connected to the Upside Down.
Basically, Hawkins sees something weird and immediately goes.. “Here we go again.” ..
What I liked most is that the show feels like a return to the earlier Stranger Things.
It is smaller... It is more focused on the kids, There is less of that huge world-ending feeling that became more common in the later seasons of the original series.
Instead, it feels like a group of kids discovering something they probably shouldn't have discovered and then deciding, “Yeah, let's investigate it.” because apparently these children have absolutely no survival instincts.
The animation took some getting used to for me... At first, seeing characters like Eleven and Dustin in animated form felt strange. Their faces and movements are obviously different from the live-action versions we have spent years watching but after a few episodes, I got used to it and actually, animation gives the show freedom to do some crazy things with the monsters and the Upside Down that would probably be much more difficult in live action.
The 1980s atmosphere is also still there.
Arcades, Old-school technology, the clothes, the music, the general feeling that everybody is living in a world before smartphones came along and ruined everybody's attention span, that nostalgia is definitely one of the show's strongest weapons and then there is the friendship between the kids... That's probably what I enjoyed the most.
Stranger Things has always been at its best when it feels like a group of friends trying to solve a ridiculous problem together.
Dustin is still Dustin, Mike is still trying to make sense of everything, Lucas brings his usual energy, Will remains connected to the supernatural side of things, Max has her own personality and attitude and Eleven is still the person everyone knows they can call when things get really bad.
But the new character Nikki Baxter also gives the group something different, and I actually enjoyed having a new personality mixed into the familiar group..
The biggest problem for me is that sometimes the series feels too familiar.
Season 2 does try to shake things up, though... The new story involves strange ghostly activity around Hawkins, mysterious flowers and creatures called hate sprites, with the Hawkins Investigators Club once again trying to stop another supernatural disaster and honestly, I liked the fact that the second season wasn't simply trying to copy the exact same monster from the original series.
Still, if you're expecting the emotional depth of the main Stranger Things series, you might be disappointed.
The original show had years to build relationships and make us care deeply about these characters.
Tales From '85 doesn't have that same advantage.
Sometimes the emotional moments happen and I understood what the show wanted me to feel, but I wasn't always as emotionally invested as I would have been with the live-action characters.
But I don't think the show needs to compete with the original... I see it more as a fun little trip back to Hawkins.
It's nostalgic. It's colourful. It's weird. There are monsters. There are kids running around investigating things they should probably leave alone and honestly, sometimes that's enough.
If you're a Stranger Things fan and you miss the old-school Hawkins gang, I think you'll have fun with it.
For me, the biggest attraction isn't even the mystery... It's getting to spend a little more time with these characters in a version of Hawkins that feels simpler and more adventurous.
Before everything became so huge.
Before the stakes became completely insane.
Just kids, bikes, arcades, friendship and another monster trying to destroy their town.
Rating: 80/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/tv.
