A Hugo Review: Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) - Stranger Things, Season One

Stranger Things, Season One is about a missing boy, an exceptional girl, and something gone horribly wrong.

It's important to note that this clocks in at just under seven hours of viewing time, which makes it a lot longer than any of the other finalists. That extra time, combined with the nature of a television show as opposed to a movie, gives it a slight edge over the other finalists. It simply has more room to tell its story. That said, I didn't binge-watch it in seven hours - I binge-watched it over several days.

The story was set in 1983, and I'm amused that I would have been just about the same age as Mike and his friends that year. As far as I can remember, nothing like this happened to me at that age.

The good: I could spend all day listing what I enjoyed about this show. It was suspenseful, the child actors were actually good, the music was absolutely perfect, the plot moved along at a great pace. The monster didn't show as more than a shadowy blob until the right time for it to be exposed. The revelations of what happened to start the entire sequence of events was teased out carefully, without holding so much back that the viewer wants to scream "get on with it". It ended on both a high note and a sad note, with plenty of hints of a possible sequel (which apparently will be available on Halloween).

The bad: Barb... oh, Barb. *sobs*

Conclusion: How do I judge this against mere movies? At the moment, this tops the ballot. That might change, depending on how I decide to judge.

Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form): I've seen Ghostbusters, Rogue One, Arrival, Stranger Things and Deadpool. I need to see Hidden Figures. I still need to rewatch and review Ghostbusters and Rogue One.