Stranger Things

3.5 stars

Overrated

In Hawkins Indiana 1983, a young boy, Will Byers (Noah Schapp) disappears. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a girl with supernatural powers, is found in the woods by a group of boys that enjoy playing Dungeons and Dragons. Secret experiments from a lab are uncovered, and it turns out that every single one of these mysteries are connected. Turns out, Hawkins is not a normal town, but one with supernatural forces. 

This show has a talented cast, and the plot is half decent, but it is incredibly overhyped. The romance in this show is incredibly unoriginal and full of cliches. Not to mention, the character development and the bonds formed are also nice, but not enough to make up for the plot of the show being unrealistic, which is the worst thing a horror series can be. Additionally, this show is not willing to kill off any main characters. 

Overall, the show is based solely on horror, there is minimal humor involved, and the villain characters are lacking in depth and motives.  The plot is predictable,  deaths are predictable. Stranger Things is a decent show, but does not deserve to be the second most played show on Netflix.

Squid Game

Rating: 3 stars

Overrated

Lee Jung-Jae Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-Jae) finds himself in a series of children’s games, where stakes and rewards are high. A bountiful prize of 45.6 billion won for the winner, but death for everyone else. Alliances, Enemies, and Plot twists. Mysteries uncover themselves slowly but surely… Can he survive long enough to find the truth?

Watching a movie or show dubbed looks wrong, and captions are just too much work. Moreover, the plot of Squid Game is fine, but unrealistic enough so that the viewer doesn’t feel fear, making the show a bit boring. Not incredibly funny, not enough romance, decent character development, and  character bonds that are meaningless. Character connections and interactions are practically meaningless because the show is set up so that only one person can survive, and that kills off every major character. Squid Game writers handle death in the opposite way Stranger Things does, both equally terrible. Squid Game practically misses all of the key components to a good show. 

Overall, a mediocre show with an okay plot, incredibly overrated and doesn’t deserve to be one of the most viewed shows.

All of these shows can be addicting, but some of these shows are just better at filling their respective niche. I hope you find a new favorite show this winter after reading these reviews, or at least see these shows in a different light.