TV/Film Review: STRANGER THINGS 5 – THE FINALE (2025): A Tense and Emotional Wrap-Up for a Unique and Compelling Series [Netflix 2025]
Stranger Things 5 – The Finale Review
Stranger Things 5 – The Finale (2025) TV Show Review, a show directed by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer and written by Caitlin Schneiderhan, Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer and starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, Jamie Campbell Bower, Nell Fisher and Linda Hamilton.
Stranger Things – Season 5, Chapter 8 is subtitled The Rightside Up and is currently being shown in movie theaters across the nation as Stranger Things 5 – The Finale. This new extravaganza is a sure-fire hit for Stranger Things fans who can discover the thrills and emotions of the Netflix series on the big screen for the show’s last hurrah. Millie Bobby Brown is featured as the key player in the action, Eleven, who was taken in by the heroic dad-like figure, Jim Hopper (David Harbour). As the action takes center stage in Matt and Ross Duffer’s conclusion, Eleven risks everything to save the world and stands up against the menacing Vecna/Henry (the terrific Jamie Campbell Bower). There is plenty of backstory revealed here in case you missed a season or two of the show which makes it accessible to audiences with just an overall familiarity to the material.
Linda Hamilton efficiently plays a chief heavy, Dr. Kay, who is in pursuit of Eleven, but the film mostly rests on the monster intent on taking over the film’s created world which the movie immerses the audience in quite effectively. An awe-inspiring sequence has Eleven running inside the monster to defeat it. Anyone who is a devoted fan of this series will recognize the complexity of how the key characters operate and how they manage to keep themselves safe from harm under challenging circumstances. Holly (Nell Fisher) has her young group of kids at her side that she tries to keep safe in a cave at a key plot point when Henry is in hot pursuit of them. One of the more memorable kids is the heavy-set Derek, played with fine energy by Jake Connelly.
This concluding episode reminded me of Avatar: Fire and Ash in that the new Stranger Things feels like it contains several unique ideas which are all rolled into one. The last hour of Episode 8 sort of explains what happens after the fight against evil concludes and focuses on the hope for a possible restoration to normalcy which could be possible for many of the characters at hand. This new Stranger Things also has the perfect soundtrack to complement the action with a couple of Prince tracks such as “Purple Rain” standing out significantly.
Maya Hawke’s Robin is personable and humorous at key moments here as well. The true scene-stealers are David Harbour and Winona Ryder (who plays Joyce), though. Those romantic possibilities for Jim and Joyce are explored later in the movie with results which will have fans of the series feeling very happy for the characters. The older kids are everything here, though. Sadie Sink’s Max gets some of the most effective moments in terms of the emotional ones at the end and the exciting action scenes earlier on.
Finn Wolfhard’s Mike Wheeler is also found right at the essence of Stranger Things 5 – The Finale. Mike’s bond with Eleven is explored in a profound way that shows the connection that is formed between these two characters. While Millie Bobby Brown is, undoubtedly, the star, Mike is the second fiddle where the key characters are concerned. Wolfhard brings passion to the role that makes it work like gangbusters in the context of the very complicated story line.
This last hurrah does feel a bit overstuffed occasionally. There is too much going on at times in the first half which makes it all seem sloppily put together at a couple of key intervals. Monsters tend to get too icky for their own good as well. Luckily, the cast overcomes these problems through the tremendous likability of characters such as those that have already been mentioned and side characters like Caleb McLaughlin’s positive Lucas and Charlie Heaton’s very distinct Jonathan. Millie Bobby Brown runs the show as she looks like she’s doing her best to be the strong hero the movie needs. Brown emulates the look and the strength of the previous work of the similar looking Scarlett Johansson from Johansson’s action pictures and Brown comes up aces in her role.
Stranger Things fans will most likely revel in this conclusion to a hugely popular series. This time out, the Duffers explore the integrity of the heroes and juxtaposes it against the dire evil that threatens their way of life. For good measure, the lyrics of the song during the end credits belt out, “We could be heroes…” These heroic characters on display are all well-constructed and fans will applaud when Ryder’s Joyce lets the evil entity know that it “f’d” with the wrong family at the biggest climactic moment in the picture.
Stranger Things 5 – The Finale should be seen on the biggest screen possible because of the dramatic and visual scope of the project. There was much attention paid to the details surrounding the creature effects and they will be more clearly visible on a bigger screen. Also, the emotions found at the end will tug at the viewer’s heartstrings more on a bigger screen where you can see the character’s eyes and expressions all the more clearly.
Rating: 7.5/10
Leave your thoughts on this Stranger Things Season 5, Chapter 8 review below in the comments section. Readers seeking more TV show reviews can visit our TV Show Review Page, our TV Show Review Twitter Page, our TV Show Review Facebook Page, and our TV Show Review Pinterest Page. Readers seeking more film reviews can visit our Movie Review Page, our Movie Review Twitter Page, and our Movie Review Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Mobile App, Google News, Apple News, Feedly, Twitter, Faceboo
Related Articles
