Stranger Things is one of the best series I've seen in a long time. I think it's the best original content netflix has produced so far. Outstanding across the board.
Hmm... I didn't really like the trailer when I saw it. But I'll have to give the pilot a shot. Anybody watch The Night Of on HBO?
I'm only through the second episode and it has a strong ET vibe. They do a really good job of recreating the early 80s which is actually a lot of the 70s with some new 80s fashion. I always wonder where they find enough of the old stuff to make a TV show.
Ive heard good stuff about Stranger Things but the trailer didn't really grab me. The other factor was a lot of praise I heard was centred on how it echoes the early 80s stuff with references and nods to other productions. That sort of thing doesn't do anything for me. I started watching Gareth Merenghi's Dark Place tonight. Missed it years ago so trying it now. Pretty good so far.
I didn't like the trailers and would recommend against watching any more trailers of that series. Watch the first episode. I was hooked after the first 10 minutes and binge watched the rest over the weekend. The E.T. vibe is intentional. It drew heavily from several 80s movies, and some scenes are almost identical to scenes in certain movies. Many of the characters are also very similar to characters from several popular movies that influenced Stranger Things. I'd recommend watching the entire series first before exploring the influences, though, as spoilers are something that you really do not want to get into with this series. Spoilers will significantly negatively impact your enjoyment and appreciation of Stranger Things. Just to give you an example that does not spoil anything in terms of storytelling, have a look at these characters from Stranger Things and Goonies:
It looks like the show is just one big collage of other 70s and 80s movies. Alien, Nightmare on Elmstreet, Explorers, Close Encounters, Poltergeist.
The nostalgia factor is going to be an influence for those who enjoyed movies from that era, but it is also brought up because 80s movies are the source material from which the series is created. Stranger Things could have been released in the 80s (minus the scenes and characters referencing other 80s movies of course) and would have been very successful (well, assuming it was in movie form; hard to directly compare given Stranger Things is an online movie service produced 8-episode series) on its own when there would have been no nostalgia factor. It stands on its own merits quite well, but the nostalgia factor is a very nice bonus for most viewers fond of 80s movies like, E.T., The Goonies, Firestarter, ect.
Interesting. The trailer reminded me of this movie called Flight of the Navigator from when I was a kid. Would be cool if it was intentional.
I used to think UK TV was better than US programming... But I'm realizing that Netflix only picked up the top tier stuff. Amazon Prime has flooded the US market with exceptionally shitty and unwatchable shows from the UK. Anyway... I usually watch detective shows and found these to be of worthy quality: Death in Paradise - light hearted murdery mystery with comedic undertones Endeavour - serious murder drama with very high production values Whitechaple - Surreal murder noir, very good Inspector Lewis - Slightly above average Midsummer Murder - So bad it's good, basically UK's Murder She Wrote
Marcella It's a Netflix original. It's similar to The Killing but there are multiple murders and everyone, including the police detective protagonist who is trying to solve the case, could be the killer.
The Invaders Surprisingly contemporary for a U.S. science fiction show from 1967 and a solid forerunner to shows like V or X-Files. There are some clunker episodes here and there, but most of it is pretty interesting so far. The premise is that alien invaders have already established themselves on Earth and are plotting to take over. Similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (and the Battlestar Galactica reboot) , they have the ability to take human form. The actor in the lead role is perfect as the obsessed, pushy, and somewhat paranoid hero who constantly tries to thwart the aliens and get people to believe THEY are here.
Marcella isn't a netflix original, it is an ITV show which is shown on Netflix outside of the UK. I quite enjoyed it, it really did keep you guessing.
Westworld on HBO This had one of the best pilots I've ever seen. If this level of quality continues, I could see this being one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time. 9.5/10
Finished Season 1 of Marcella. I liked it but I probably wont be watching season 2. It was a bit too confusing and it didn't leave me wanting more.
The second episode of Westworld was even better than the pilot. Anyone who isn't watching this needs to start. It's like a combination of Blade Runner, Jurassic Park, and Firefly. It's based on a Michael Crichton novel, so the writing is top notch. The production values are insane for a TV show. The show had something like a $100M budget for Season 1, and it shows. Plenty of great acting from Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris too. There's definitely a Grand Theft Auto kind of thing going on with the guests at the park. It seems like when you put people in a life-like simulation, give them total freedom, and there are no consequences for their actions, they tend to behave like sadistic jerks and go on raping and murdering sprees. I'm starting to wonder if we will see any guests who aren't completely awful people. Ed Harris seems to be some big money baller who has unlimited access to the park, which he uses to rape and murder the artificial people in increasingly awful ways.
I recently got Amazon Prime so I checked out Mr. Robot. Loved it. I decided to give Rick and Morty a second chance after being unimpressed by it once before. Now I love it, shame only season 1 is on Netflix. I've also started watching The Walking Dead, timely. Once I'm done with TWD I'm gonna start ploughing through The X-Files since they're all on Amazon. I've got loads of stuff to watch.
I've read that the whole season in on Adult Swim but I only see a few episodes. http://www.adultswim.com/videos/rick-and-morty
@Armadeadn Mr Robot sucks. Season 1 is just a remake of Fight Club, except they use hacking instead of explosives to take down the world economy. After Season 1 it jumps the shark completely. I knew when they did that 90's sitcom themed episode that they had run out of ideas and I was watching garbage.