Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 – Review by Andrea Carnevali

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Set in Hawkins, Indiana, in the winter of 1985, Eleven and her friends unravel a paranormal mystery terrorizing their town.

This turned out to be a lot better than it had any right to be.

For a start, both the writing and the new talent voices really seemed to capture the essence of the original series. The way the kids talked to each other, using their sarcasm to cover their panic, in that seemingly improvised way that doesn’t feel scripted (something that’s particularly difficult to pull off in animation), is surprisingly fresh and smart.

The series understands the emotional mechanics that made the live-action series work so well in the first place, with that mixture of “Goonies-like” adventure, banter and that nostalgia for the 80s.

What works particularly well is the actual design and look of the series. The camera work is exceptional: tracking shots, Dutch angles, impossible (and ingenious) moves. It’s all well above your average animated series TV.

Combined with some great lighting and a detailed production design, you really get a sense that this isn’t just a cash-in exercise (well, it is… ), but someone actually cared about matching the mood of the real thing, not just decorating it with 80s candy. It has that same level of craft, where you can sense the texture of the setting even when you’re watching something obviously stylised.

As for the storylines, they are obviously limited by what we already know about the main events (this sits between season 2 and 3 of the original series), but the introduction of new characters is a good addition, giving people you can get attached to without insisting you treat them as canon-shattering pillars.

Even within these pretty restricted parameters and even if some of the cliffhangers feel a bit stretched, there’s still a sense of momentum and curiosity rather than box-ticking.

Unfortunately, the animation of the characters themselves (and especially the facial expressions) is a bit lacking and disappointing. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s noticeable—and it’s frustrating, because the series clearly has the visual chops to do everything else right.

The pacing is also a big win. Episodes are short (clocking in at around the half-hour mark), and that helps enormously. You’re not dragging yourself through filler, or waiting for the “real stuff” to start (like the original series did, from time to time). Instead, the stories keep moving, knowing how to land their beats without getting bogged down too much. In that respect, the format definitely works in its favour.

In the end, Tales from ’85 is not going to replace the main series, but nor does it ruin its legacy. It earns its place as a slightly friendlier version for younger kids, but with still some clever dialogue, genuine laughter, believable character interplay, some gore and horror (surprisingly) and a strong sense of visual identity.

Season 2 is apparently slated for next autumn.

Andrea Carnevali is a Bafta winning film maker who lives in Chiswick, and a co-creator of the Chiswick In Film festival.