The latest fourth series of Netflix’s hit Stranger Things is receiving rave reviews, but also some criticism due to the over-the-top visuals. Some episodes are over two hours long and feel like feature films with an endlessly stretched intro. Western dailies call the series “victims of their own success”. The serial phenomenon comes at a time when Netflix is getting more expensive, hundreds of thousands of subscribers are dwindling and stocks are falling sharply.
Filmmaker Brian Lowry describes the latest series of Stranger Things as a “victim of its own success”. He adds that producers and creators “are burdened with expectations and clearly escape dramaturgical oversight. As far as creative interventions go, they responded with a dizzying new threat and characters scattered across the globe,” Lowry writes on the server. CNN. In addition to the city of Hawkins, where the first two series took place, the viewer will also travel to Nevada, California, Alaska or Russia.
“The first two episodes feel particularly bloated before the Duffer Brothers stories settle into their traditional sleeping quarters. Even then, there are detours and subplots that can be easily removed or cut. The series is slowly declassifying and vaguely the latest dangers of the underworld without the need to speed up. The series is time-consuming, and the exaggerated imagery sometimes comes at the expense”, Lowry criticizes the artificially stretched length of the horror series.
Putting steve, robin, dustin, nancy, eddie, lucas and max together was a stroke of genius. Their chemistry and banter were the best parts of the season. So many beautiful dynamics.#StrangerThings4 pic.twitter.com/4N6e0h48cQ
-Sweeny (@StarlordSweeny)
May 29, 2022
On the other hand, the critic adds that “everything is bigger, more expensive and longer”: sometimes stretched and long sequences, expensive and pleasant sets and a more serious, dramatic and “epic” scenario. Conflicting reviews point to the authentic and stylish vibe, rave about the “retro look” and criticize Netflix’s excessive creative freedom.
“Gaming pays off for Netflix. If we want to see a big-budget show from the comfort of home on screen, the streamer will give it to us right away: We’re going back to 1986 in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, which is located above the portal to an underworld infested with monsters. Simple but effective scenes show children going to high school, going to a disco on roller skates, or battling monsters from another dimension. New and old characters, familiar environments and new locations, and a perfect retro concept,” writes The Guardian daily about the serial phenomenon.
The fourth series of horror hits is over five hours longer than the previous series, and the sequences of the individual parts are close to the length of the cinema films. The expensive and highly anticipated series comes at a time when Netflix is in deep crisis.
The streaming giant reported a decline in subscribers after the first quarter: the streamer lost up to 200,000 users and its shares fell nearly 30% on the stock market. Additionally, Netflix canceled several planned series of series (Cursed, The Last Kingdom, Occasional Detectives from Baker Street) and introduced a new, more expensive subscription model or a cheaper variant with advertising, CNN adds.
Chasing subscribers through expensive audiovisual projects and postponing profits to another time is starting to “squeak”, writes the daily The Guardian. However, this is not the only overpriced project that is planned for the public in the near future. Already at the beginning of the summer, Netflix’s most expensive project will be presented – the action feature film The Gray Man has a budget of more than 200 million dollars.
The 1980s sci-fi horror Stranger Things, where a group of teenagers battle dangerous monsters from a parallel dimension, is directed by brothers Ross and Matt Duffer. The directors and show partners of the series bring a more mature and serious spectacle compared to previous series: a plethora of famous faces from previous series such as Winona Ryder, David Harbor or Millie Bobby Brown will be presented here.
Source: Echo24
