Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 Review and Ratings
Cast: Odessa A’zion, Lou Diamond Phillips, Janeane Garofalo, Robert Englund, Jeremy Jordan, Alysia Reiner, Jack Griffo, Jolie Hoand Rappaport
Director: Phil Allora
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)
We’ve been watching Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, the animated series that returns to Hawkins at an unprecedented moment in history, never shown in the original series. The episodes are set in winter between the second and third seasons, when the group is back together, and the threat of the Upside Down seems to have temporarily subsided. It is precisely this narrative space, which has remained unexplored until now, that becomes the ground on which to build new adventures, to recover the atmosphere of the origins without, however, really managing to broaden the boundaries of the story and find one’s own identity…
The Duffer brothers, along with their trusted director Shawn Levy and others, are producers of this new animated story, created by showrunner Eric Robles and released in 2023, when the parent series was still in production. And, as we said from the title of this review (spoiler-free), it is strictly necessary to put your soul at peace before watching Tales from ‘85: if you believed the theory of Conformity Gate and of the secret episode that was supposed to come out after the “official” conclusion, so to speak, you risk facing bitter disappointment. To explain ourselves better, here is the plot, explanations, and analysis of Stranger Things: Stories since 1985; if you’re in a hurry, as usual, you’ll find the trailer at the bottom of this article.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 Review: The Story Plot
The story begins in early January: it’s been a couple of months since the season 2 finale, when 11 saved Hawkins, and beyond, closing the gap with the Upside Down just after the Mind Flayer escaped from the heated Will; Mike-11 and Lucas-Max had their first kiss at the school dance but aren’t as hormonal as they are in the upcoming summer season, set at the Star Court shopping mall that will hide the secret Soviet experiments. Our fictional but no less beloved Indiana town is under a thick blanket of snow, and between one day of school and the next, our friends spend time with each other and with 11, still locked up in Hopper’s shelter in the woods: of course, there is no shortage of games at Dungeons and Dragons.
At the beginning of the year they meet Nikki, a new classmate from Hawkins Middle School who can’t stand bullies who target Will and the others, and has the physique Rôle to dissuade them. In class, however, the kids are hit by some bad news: the legendary Mr. Clarke, Dustin’s (and Erica’s) future mentor and science professor, has taken a few months off and will be replaced by a substitute teacher, Mrs. Baxter. But even though the gap with Upside Down is closed, you can never rest easy in Hawkins. And indeed, relatively quiet school life is turned upside down when strange Demogorgon-like creatures begin to appear around, sprouting from the snow and attacking anyone in front of them. When the kids realize something strange is happening, they can only investigate, but this time without involving Joyce and, if possible, not even Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve. But above all, without saying half a word to Hopper, who – extremely concerned about the safety of his adopted daughter – warns Mike that, if anything happens to 11, “these woods have buried many mistakes”.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 Review and Analysis
Given the level of attention to the most microscopic details that the Stranger Things fandom has proven to have, especially in the months leading up to and following the release of the final season, it is quite likely that in the coming weeks there will be minute lists of all the inconsistencies, things that they don’t come back and the evergreens “plot holes” present in this spin-off that takes us back to the beginning of the struggle between our heroes and the army of evil led by the Mind Flayer and the here still unknown Vecna/Henry/001/Mr. Whatsit.
But the almost biblical exegesis, which was already a bit exaggerated for the parent series, is totally out of place if you want to enjoy this return to Hawkins, with the characters we watched grow up being children again – by the way, despite some flaws when it comes to fumes and vapors, The work of the animation studio Flying Bark is excellent in reproducing the features and movements of the protagonists, and the same goes for the cast of voices of the young voice actors in the original version, impressively similar to those of the original interpreters.
Because yes, to be strictly faithful to the canon, various things can make you turn up your nose. And we’re not talking about the fact that – to give a spoiler-free example – the characters drawn don’t even say half a swear word, not even the adults, when everyone was talking like long before the arrival of the fantastic Derek Turnbow: the target of this series is very young in age, possibly also made up of people who have not yet been able to see the bloody and often deadly parent series for age reasons, so it’s fair that the horror and language forbidden to polite minors are toned down in this series, which is also recommended for those aged at least 11-12.
The point, if anything, is that Tales from ‘85 is not DuckTales, although the title might make you think. In the sense that this animated series does not tell, precisely, simple, self-contained stories from 1985, which are already forgotten by the next episode. Without spoiling anything, it’s safe to say that Stories since 1985 has actually told (for now, except that season two is set after the summer of season 3) only one story, significant, engaging in every sense, which in theory would have concrete consequences in the world of Stranger Things. Trivially, it is impossible that the protagonists of this adventure could ever forget it, let alone not talk about it again the following summer.
As much as this objection makes sense, however, it is not by appealing to it that we can approach the vision of this children’s spin-off. Unless, as mentioned, the goal is to make lists of mistakes rather than enjoying what, ultimately, is just a good story with characters we already know. And then in Tales from ‘85, we won’t find the answer to those who physically kidnapped Will, revelations about what really happened to 11, explanations of why Joyce and Hopper seemed to have forgotten that they had been Henry’s schoolmates and friends, and all the other unresolved issues after Mike’s story ended at the end of the last D&D game. But if you simply want to have a new adventure with some old friends who have become children again, between quotes, references, and “Easter egg” various that wink at fans, Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 is the right choice.
What emerges most clearly, however, is the desire to never truly break out of an already consolidated pattern. The structure of the episodes follows a very recognizable pattern: the kids stumble upon something inexplicable, try to understand it, and end up facing it together, while the adult world remains confined to the background. It’s a mechanism that works because it underpins the very identity of Stranger Things, but here it’s re-proposed with little variation. The series proceeds linearly, without significant deviations, and this makes it smooth but also predictable, especially for those who know the original well.
Visually, the series chooses a rather neutral path. The CGI animation is curated and fluid, with careful use of colors and lighting that recalls the aesthetics of the 80s, but without pushing towards truly distinctive stylistic solutions. The winter setting introduces an interesting variation, adding a colder and more suspended dimension to the story, but it remains an element more atmospheric than identity-based. Everything is carefully constructed, but you hardly feel like you’re standing in front of something visually memorable.
The heart of the series remains the group of friends, with dynamics that return exactly as we left them. The relationships between the characters are instantly recognizable, and this allows the narrative to move easily without having to rebuild the foundation. At the same time, however, there is no real room for evolution. The characters remain true to themselves, without going through significant changes, and even the new introductions fit in without really altering the balance. The result is a story that relies on familiarity but rarely finds new insights.
Stranger Things – Stories since 1985 is a series that fits seamlessly into the original universe, respecting its tone and structure. It’s pleasant to follow, especially for those who loved the first seasons and find that more contained and everyday dimension here. What is missing is real momentum. The series does not seek to redefine Hawkins’ world or open up new perspectives, but merely moves within already drawn boundaries. It works because it knows exactly what it wants to be, but precisely this coherence ends up limiting its impact, leaving the feeling of a story that stays close to what we know without adding much more.
The point is that Stories hasn’t used this freedom since 1985 in the way he could have. The series is set at a specific point in the original timeline; it must respect everything the parent series has already established, and this traps it in a way that becomes evident from the first episodes. Eleven is still hiding in Hopper’s house, Mike updates her on everything going on at school, Dustin keeps the group together, and Lucas and Max exchange awkward glances after their first kiss at the Snow Ball. Everything is exactly where we left it, everything is exactly where we already know it’s going to end, because season three exists, and we’ve already seen what happens.
The new main character is Nikki Baxter, the daughter of a substitute teacher, with pink hair and a shaved side mohawk, a punk rock attitude that grew from moving around and taught her not to get attached to anyone. She’s the most interesting character in the series, built with some care, and the problem is that she can’t do practically anything relevant because if she left a real mark on the main characters, someone would have already had to name her in the original series. Which means Nikki exists in a very uncomfortable narrative space: present enough to seem important, invisible enough to change nothing. It’s a bit like inviting someone to dinner and then not giving them anything to eat.
The same logic applies to everything else. Max and Lucas can get closer, but not too close, because their story is already written. Eleven and Mike can build their relationship, but without reaching any real milestones, because those belong to the other series. Upside Down can do disturbing things, but not too disturbing, because the real danger is yet to come. The result is a series that already knows where it can’t go before it even begins, and this realization feels like a blanket a little too short in every episode: you cover your shoulders and your feet come out, you cover your feet, and your shoulders stay.
That said, the episodes are thirty minutes long, the pace is brisk, and if you abandon the expectation of seeing something memorable, you can spend a fairly quiet afternoon in front of the screen. The visual style is vibrant, the colors are just right for an 80s cartoon, and now and then, a joke comes along that works. It’s not a bad series; it’s a series that could have been so much more and was content to be a decent addendum to something bigger. Which, given the franchise it comes from, is an achievement that is hard to call exciting.
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 Review: The Last Words
The animated format with thirty-minute episodes makes sense, and Nikki Baxter’s new character has the potential to be interesting. The problem is that the series is so tied to the original timeline and mythology that it can’t afford any real risk: the characters can’t change, the relationships can’t evolve significantly, and the dangers can’t be truly dangerous. The result is a pleasant but essentially useless operation, which he entertains without leaving anything behind. A return to Hawkins that works for its recognizable (and beloved) atmospheres, but remains too tied to an already known formula. The main limitation emerges, however, precisely on a narrative level. Placing this story between the second and third seasons of the parent series inevitably means dealing with the problem of continuity. The events recounted carry too much weight to be simply ignored in the main story, making it difficult to believe that they could truly be canonical.
