Stranger Things Season 4 Review

August 4, 2022 Render Q

WARNING: This review contains series spoilers. Read at your own risk.

Stranger Things had been the most popular and sensational series this Summer. The arrival of Season 4 volumes 1 and 2 have revolutionized the internet. Everyone is talking about it!! Stranger Things had us hooked these past few months with a new plot, a new villain, and a few new characters. For those who do not know, the main story of this series is set in the 80s when a group of friends experiences multiple supernatural events having to face government secrets and the mysteries within the town of Hawkins. Out of all seasons, this fourth one had us all at the edge of our seats. It leaves us analyzing what has been the story within Hawkins and what will be the future of this famous series.

The cast of Stranger Things has stated many times that season 4 is the darkest of all seasons. After watching both volumes of the most recent one, I can say they were not wrong. In this particular season, the new villain, Vecna, haunts and kills the victims that have gone through some traumatic experience. The gore of these scenes had many of us flinching as we saw how bones break and eyes pop out of their sockets. However, I believe these bloody scenes were not the only reason this season is so dark. The psychological aspect behind Vecna’s behavior and those it kills makes this season so dark yet so interesting. This villain is very selective with its victims, murdering the most vulnerable teenagers that are going through Post Traumatic Disorder and depression, something that we have not seen before with previous villains, which only kill those that get in the way. Since Stranger Things get darker and darker every season, I wonder how the series’s finale will unfold and how this darkness will all come back together to answer the origin of it all.

To defeat the darkness within Hawkins, the protagonist Eleven always triumphs thanks to her powers and the help of all her friends. However, things got a little tricky this season since she lost her powers in season 3. This gave a chance for the creators to dig deep into her story and what that meant to the future of Hawkins. At the beginning of this season, we could see snips and pieces of Eleven’s past, exposing as well the central conflict of the story. However, I believe that the end of the first volume tied everything together perfectly, making it one of the season’s biggest highlights. That connection between the present and the past with One and Eleven had us all mind blown and anxious to see how it would unfold in volume 2 as she recovers her powers.

All our favorite characters this season were heroes of their own, not leaving all the weight to Eleven. The original and new cast had a spotlight moment and were vital to defeating Vecna. They were not only key to this plot but also reached our hearts. With rumors of a tragic series finale, I was afraid that the original main characters would be the ones to die, breaking our hearts along the way. Even though one of the main characters ended up injured and in a coma, most of the new characters were the ones who ended up crushing our souls as they died being victims and heroes. Yes, I am talking about Eddie Munson and Chrissy Cunningham. The two new characters that everyone is talking about. (If you don’t have “Chrissy Wake Up” stuck in your head, are you even a Stranger Things fan?) I believe they ended up being the main characters in our eyes. The season would not have been the same without them.

Adding to the admiration of the new characters, Eddie Munson’s heavy metal performance in volume 2 was definitely the biggest highlight of this part of the series. Joseph Quinn did an incredible job bringing this character to life. His dedication as he learned how to play Master of Puppets by Metallica on his electric guitar had us all in shock. That is one of the main reasons so many people, including myself, admire him. Even though we lost a friend in the series, we gained a hero and an outstanding final performance before his grand departure.

VFX Review

As time passes, technology advances and this can be seen watching Stranger Things from its first season to its most recent. This new season brings along with it new monsters which means some more interesting vfx visuals to see.

~ WARNING: SOME GRAPHIC CONTENT FROM THE TV SHOW ~

The show’s directors were interested in practical effects to make things seem as real and gruesome as possible. Things such as the upside-down environment, shots of the Demogorgon, dead Barb, and more were physically made. Because the TV show is 80s-themed, the directors wanted to pay homage to films made in the 80s when lots of practical effects were used and make practical effects themselves. Throughout the seasons, they continued to use these effects. In all seasons, it can be seen when the upside-down environment is shown, and in season 4, it was used to create Vecna.

FX artists used prosthetics and other materials to make the actor Campell Bower into Vecna. This is really helpful because they can mix real-life costumes with visual effects. For example, in some scenes, you can see vines and veins on Vecna’s body moving, which was done in post. Vecna’s big scene is with Max when she is trapped in his world. Most of the set was created practically except for the background.

The mixture of practical and visual effects was done very well in this latest season of Stranger Things. Although, there were times when some of the visual effects seemed a bit rushed. For example, in a couple of the Demogorgon scenes, the creature didn’t look integrated enough. They didn’t use practical effects for the Demogorgon, which could have been a reason why. In hindsight, it also could have been their choice not to integrate him much to make him pop out at the viewer more, but I think some more integration could have made it better. Scenes where Vecna murdered people, were quite frightening, but I thought the visual effects were done well in order to enhance that. When the bodies landed on the ground, though, you could tell they were fake because some of the distortions in their face and body were a bit exaggerated. Overall I thought the visual effects were really good in season 4, and they were able to enhance the overall feeling of the show. Seeing the results of this newest season, I’m excited to watch season 5 for even better visual effects.

The creators of this series are pretty insane, but they deserve praise. They have made a one-of-a-kind series with great effects and relatable stories that have left us all in shock and wanting more. I can’t wait to see what will happen next in this series, as many questions will be answered. What will happen to Max? Will there be an explanation for Will’s past and all the clues this series have not cleared out yet? What is the origin of it all?… In the meantime, we can watch or rewatch Stranger Things on Netflix and create possible theories of our own.

You can watch an in-depth and interesting video about season 4’s visual effects here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBgcHyTfyRw

You can find this interesting article below which has multiple videos of the vfx breakdowns: https://www.artofvfx.com/stranger-things-season-4/

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