Stranger Things - Season 2 (2017)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2017
	Creators: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
	Actors: Winona Ryder (Alien Resurrection, Star Trek), David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Sean Astin (The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings 1-3)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller, SF
	Conditions of visioning: October - November 2017, VOD, 40" TV screen
Synopsis: One year after its encounter with a monster from another dimension, the little town on Hawkins faces a new growing threat, and the same group of nerd kids is again at its center.
Review: After a first season very popular with an audience nostalgic of the 80's, this one follows a very similar recipe: same kids including the eternal victim Will, same upset love stories, same puzzle-solving by the stressed-out mother Joyce, same 80's design, same government conspiracy, and even a new girl attempting to enter the group of friends causing frictions. In a nutshell, probably the best that could have been done for a second season to please the fans by giving them what they liked and want, adding a few new features. But if I appreciate that, I also already know that it won't work a third time and the creators will have to come up with something new for a next season. Among the new additions: the character of Bob played by Sean Astin who was playing a kid in The Goonies (this casting choice is not a coincidence) and a new Monster/boogeyman with a very well-done Chtulu look (see the poster, and for Chtulu my recent post on The Void). As for the first season, this one is very pleasant to watch: the kids are funny and touching, the monsters even more scary, and the synthesizer music matches well the action. This season is also even more filled with references, and I guess the producers even paid for the rights to show some of them: extracts from The Terminator, Ghostbusters costumes... It also consists of only nine episodes of 48 minutes which is rather short and makes it as easy to watch as a movie. The feeling is reinforced by the title Stranger Things 2 (instead of "season 2"). My questioning about the first season stills holds: I would recommend this one as well to viewers my age, but I don't know how a younger audience would take it...
Rating: 7 /10