Paper Girls Review: Prime Video The Series That Tries To Pick Up The Baton From Stranger Things
Starring: Camryn Jones, Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky
Creator: Stephany Folsom
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Paper Girls on Prime Video is the answer to the success of Stranger Things. Adapted from the comic of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang, the series has many points in common with the Netflix cult with the spirit of the 80s, from the soundtrack to the young protagonists on bicycles. The series is developed by Stephany Folsom who then left the project in the hands of Cristopher C. Rogers who became the only showrunner, is produced by Amazon Studios, Legendary Television and Plan B. The first season consists of 8 episodes available from July 29th streaming on Prime Video.
Paper Girls Review: The Story
Before dawn on November 1, 1988, 4 12-year-old girls get up while it’s all dark around and the people of the night still come back masked for the Halloween party, to deliver the newspapers. As they find themselves dealing with a group of little bullies, the girls end up in the middle of a conflict between time travelers and suddenly end up in the future. Looking for a way back to the past, they will encounter the adult version of themselves. 12-year-old dreams and expectations crash into the reality of their lives. All while being hunted by a military faction, the Old Watch, who have banned time travel. Their only help could come from the rival faction, but above all to survive they will have to learn to trust each other.
The story, adapted from the comic of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, immediately makes it clear that upside-down Netflix will never be remembered. Paper Girls is a sci-fi story, and not a horror-fantasy one, which uses all the narrative styles of time travel and makes them their own. It is the science fiction matrix that makes the show distinguishable: space-time travel, technologically advanced weapons and time wars are the focal points of Paper Girls.
Paper Girls Review and Analysis
Paper Girls comes after 4 seasons of Stranger Things and it shows. It is useless to deny it and pretend nothing has happened. That spirit of childish fun that is the strong point of the Netflix series is also found in this Prime Video production, constantly hovering between the series for children and one for adults. The absence of channels and the fluidity of the streaming world create these hybrids that were difficult to achieve until a few years ago because they were difficult to place. In fact, in Paper Girls, distinctly infantile elements are placed side by side with other more committed ones such as the end of illusions, the predetermination of life, and the consequences of the choices made.
The first 8 episodes give the impression of a big prologue, with the story that will inevitably change and take other paths in the next season (which should be certain for a product of this type). The scenes are invaded by a lot of music from the 80s-90s (and not only) to further unleash the nostalgia effect in the viewer but also given how much they worked for Stranger Things. A good entertainment that is not very innovative. The comic saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang is a very interesting work full of food for thought, which tells of a future in which only the younger generations can help us survive, leveraging the unexpected and inner strength that four little girls, in a situation of danger and crisis, can pull out to save the world.
A story of friendship and strength of character, of how only by joining forces, at times, it is possible to recover, totally subverting the concept of “everyone saves himself” that the contemporary world often leads us to think. A story is full of twists, cynicism and dramatic moments, colorful and contemporary despite the temporal leaps from the past to the present to the future. The strength of the four young time travelers, their charisma, and their obstinacy, emerge less in the TV series which, despite being very faithful to the paperwork, lacks identity, just like the streaming platform that hosts it, still lacking one precise style.
Paper Girls stars four very young girls dedicated to the morning distribution of newspapers. Suddenly and involuntarily, due to the desperate search for the lost walkie-talkie, the young women find themselves catapulted into another time. They traveled in space-time. After Halloween night in 1988, they find themselves in our times. Modern technology, wars between rival factions of time travelers and vintage vibes are the hallmarks of Paper Girls, a series distinguishable from the very first episode. There is no shortage of classic problems involving time travel: little girls will cross their adult versions and as you can imagine the meeting will not be the most cordial. However, the goal of the little ones remains clear: to go back to their time and save the world.
The Amazon TV series starts from premises and stylistic features that are very reminiscent of Stranger Things. In the first few minutes, it may seem to you that you are in a parallel universe compared to that of the Netflix series. However, already in the middle of the first episode, the situation changes completely. Paper Girls has its own identity, it does not copy or imitate other shows. The main factor that connects the two series is given by the presence of the 80s setting, all the vintage vibes and partly the dark and gloomy photography. Fortunately, the Amazon series in terms of aesthetics immediately identifies with the shades of pink, from the brightest pink to the more tenuous one. If you watch the series, the association with fuchsia will be immediate.
Surely the young protagonists can somehow remember the group of kids from the Netflix series, however in this case we are faced with four little girls. An all-female group. Furthermore, to further differentiate the two groups there is the fact that the protagonists of Paper Girls are mere acquaintances, they become friends by circumstance not by choice. They grow, evolve, and learn things in a very short time for survival needs. Together they support and support each other since they have understood that only by collaborating can they return to their time.
Therefore, the first season of Paper Girls utilizes some specific arcs from the comics but takes the freedom to create its development of the facts. Keeping the basic events and concepts of the original story, Stephany Folsom reduces the number of sci-fi elements of the plot and bets more on the relationship between the main characters. The changes, which may have to do with the show’s budget, are quite significant, especially in the mid to late season. However, the characters are very well characterized and extremely faithful to the comics.
Riley Lai Nolet, Sofia Rosinsky, Camryn Jones and Fina Strazza are visually very similar to Cliff Chiang’s drawings, which is something very cool to see on screen. Despite the characters’ personalities undergoing certain changes in the Prime Video version, with several small comic book happenings being redirected to different members of the group, the connection between them still works very well, especially when exploring how diverse their cultures are. . Even with some dramatic moments, the Paper Girls series is very effective in portraying the girls’ relationship, and that’s the best part of the production. As it is a coming-of-age narrative, it is very pleasant to follow the development of all of them and the way they come together towards a common goal.
However, even with the great characterization of the main actresses, Paper Girls lacks a greater appeal with the production design and art direction. Stranger Things is a fever not only for its great children’s cast and story but also for the work of recreating the 1980s in the smallest detail, also bringing interesting visual elements in the threats coming from the Upside Down. It is a production that fills the eyes and surprises for the quality not only of acting but also of production. Perhaps in a second season, with more guarantee of success, the series could receive a bigger budget and bolder visual elements.
Tales From the Loop, a great Prime Video original series, has a beautiful visual appeal and great sophistication in its episodes. That technical level is something I’d like to see in a possible next year of Paper Girls. As for the secondary characters, they all seem to need more substance. The changes made to the adult versions of the characters, in addition to the addition of Larry (Nate Corddry), do not do justice to the story available in the comics and make the plot created by Folsom very drag. Jason Mantzoukas, who is part of the cast playing Big Dad, does not complement the main cast at all, making cameos so forgettable that I almost forgot about him in this review here.
Paper Girls Review: The Last Words
With an excellent cast and a good development of its main characters, Paper Girls stands out for its talents more than the events of the plot. However, the first season brings good entertainment and has the potential to create more fun and interesting second year. To underline the great ethnic and cultural representation of Paper Girls, never forced and always well done. The series will be ready to surprise you thanks to the many twists, do not rest assured because everything can change in a few minutes. If you love sci-fi products and Stranger Things vibes you can’t miss Paper Girls.
