Stranger Things Season 3 review roundup: Netflix’s sci-fi horror series receives critical acclaim

The consensus reads, “Vibrant and charming, Stranger Things transforms itself into a riveting — if familiar — summer ride that basks in its neon-laden nostalgia without losing sight of the rich relationships that make the series so endearing.”

Financial Times’ Suzi Feay writes in her review, “Our heroes are not the goofy young kids they used to be. The third series realigns and reconfigures them in new combinations and allegiances.”

Time Magazine’s Judy Berman wrote, “Stranger Things allows us to escape that desolation, into an idealized ’80s that isn’t too much different from the retro virtual fantasia of the beloved Black Mirror episode San Junipero. It’s a thin imitation of what we used to have, but who could blame anyone for clinging to it?”

Screenrant’s Kevin Yeoman writes, “Stranger Things finally becomes the sort of extravagant, exceedingly ambitious adventure spectacle that would have ruled the theaters during the ’80s, instead of a TV series merely obsessed with films from that decade.”

IndieWire’s Ben Travers wrote, “By doubling down on relationship stories, Season 3 of Stranger Things delivers an oft-charming, deeper-than-expected, and ultimately enjoyable new chapter.”

Stranger Things season 3 stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Cara Buono, Maya Hawke, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey, Francesca Reale, and Priah Ferguson.

The season synopsis reads, “It’s 1985 in Hawkins, Indiana, and summer’s heating up. School’s out, there’s a brand new mall in town, and the Hawkins crew are on the cusp of adulthood. Romance blossoms and complicates the group’s dynamic, and they’ll have to figure out how to grow up without growing apart. Meanwhile, danger looms. When the town’s threatened by enemies old and new, Eleven and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. Now they’ll have to band together to survive, and remember that friendship is always stronger than fear.”

Stranger Things season 3 premieres on July 4, 2019.