"Stranger Things Season 5": The horror beyond the voice break

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In the first four episodes of the fifth and final season of „Stranger Things“, there's a key moment where one of the children finally clearly contradicts their mother. The scene feels right, but for the wrong reason. The child is clearly a young man well over 20. Why is his mother talking to him like that? He's not 15 anymore!

The supposed monsters look more convincing in the fifth season than the supposed teenagers. There's nothing that can be done about this fundamental perception problem. "Stranger Things" tells a story between 1983 and 1987, but filming began about ten years ago. At that time, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler actually still looked like he might not have reached puberty yet. Today, on the other hand, he looks like he should be finishing college soon.

Adults in the Kids' Room

Mike's entire Dungeons and Dragons group has also grown up. Not in the story, but very clearly on screen. When the family gathers with friends around the breakfast table at the beginning of the fifth season, it looks more like the setup for a sketch than an authentic family scene from the 1980s. When will the parents finally notice that their children have long since moved out and could earn their own living?

The problem is unsolvable, but it's not present in every scene. Gaten Matarazzo can still transform into a teenager the most, also because Dustin behaves like a teenager. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), and Noah Schnapp (Will), on the other hand, are actually too old for their roles. When they interact as a clique, it's not always noticeable, but scenes in the school cafeteria or with their supposed parents are unintentionally comical.

Well-Rehearsed Ensemble

This criticism weighs heavily. But it's also by far the biggest. And it often recedes into the background because school, or the town of Hawkins at all, is only peripherally involved here. Earthquakes, quarantine, and the military are keywords that can be used to brush aside everyday connections. How the state of emergency, which has lasted for months, is apparently accepted by most people with a shrug remains unbelievable, but hardly noticeable.

With season five, the focus is entirely on the ensemble. And that's a good decision. The lines are drawn, the basic outlines of the story about insane government experiments and dark parallel worlds are known. Now the finale can be harvested.

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Fünfte Staffel "Stranger Things" (10 Bilder)

Watching it feels doubly nostalgic. You can remember not only possible childhood experiences from the 1980s, but also 2016, when the first season was released and mixed detailed 80s nostalgia with smartly placed horror moments. This contrast is no longer surprising, but has become familiar again. The exaggerated action scenes and the constantly present special effects full of smacking membranes and slimy tentacles don't create breathless tension. The whole thing is primarily an invitation into a labyrinth of quotes. What fate awaits the unpleasantly growling military types? Anyone who doesn't figure it out on their own is probably too young to watch.

Furthermore, with the finish line in sight, the series develops a pleasant momentum. The four episodes, also due to their extended running time, feel weighty but don't drag. There's simply a lot to tell. The entire extended ensemble pulls on various plot threads to bring everything to a climax.

Bloody End

Streaming services are notorious for inflating and overloading simple stories to fill 6 to 8 hours. This sluggishness is blown away here. Although there are always multiple locations between which the plot jumps back and forth, things are allowed to change or resolve. Friends finally say what's been on their minds for several seasons. The number of twists and revelations increases. And no supporting character is safe anymore.

The horror that was slowly built up before is now constantly present. Significant parts of the plot take place directly in the Upside Down. The genre change to classic action with monsters, while not believable, is entertaining. Millie Bobby Brown plays Eleven with the toughness of a driven super-soldier. Her best scenes are with David Harbour as Hopper. He seems a bit over the top as Rambo on his own, but as quasi-daughter and adoptive father, the two are touching.

On the one hand, this results in an even wilder mix than before. In the finale, "Stranger Things" features teen comedy, horror, and action side-by-side. The fact that it all works together is due to the lens: everything is an ironic reference to something that never really existed. A camera pan over a lavishly set breakfast table, a zoom on a suddenly stopped audio cassette, and the series is grounded again.

The other big trick is simply good craftsmanship: the entire character ensemble works. Nothing is original or surprising, but the roles are brought to life by the actors' joy of playing and capture authentic moments. Even conflicts that have been told a thousand times elsewhere work here. What does it look like in the head of a bullied boy? What does it do to a young person to discover their own homosexuality? Such scenes remain important despite all the incoming Demogorgons. They are often a bit blatant, but humanly observed. And above all, well acted.

The Empire Strikes Back

The fifth season has been divided into three packages, released a few weeks apart. This is strange at first glance, but makes sense when watching. The four episodes so far, due to the visibly high budget, constant effect storms, and numerous highlights, feel more like an endless film that should be watched over as few evenings as possible, depending on your stamina.

The end of the first part of the fifth part of "Stranger Things" is less of a cliffhanger and more of a logical conclusion. A lot happens, many hints for the future are made, and after watching, you can wonderfully imagine what will happen in the next three episodes. And how many hours they will probably last. Fortunately, the finale is already in the can.

(mack)