Netflix’s Stranger Things centers around the disappearance of a young boy in the 1980s. However, the show cleverly maneuvers its way through a seemingly generic plot by telling this story from multiple viewpoints: That of kids, teenagers, and adults, utilizing various pop/film culture aspects of the 1980s, such as alien invasion (Aliens, 1986) and telekinesis (Star Wars (1977-1983).

If you are a fan of the 1980s, this show will blanket you with nostalgia and makes various nods to the most popular sci-fi films of the ’80s.

The show begins with the disappearance of Will Byers. Out of desperation, Will’s friends – Mike, Dustin and Lucas, set out on the path they believe Will took on his way home.

In nearly the same spot Will is believed to have disappeared, they encounter a mysterious girl who barely speaks English and has a shaved head. Eventually, they discover that she harbors some pretty awesome superpowers.

However, with the addition of a new and powerful ally in the girl, later to be identified as Eleven, or “El”, the boys soon find themselves a strange and dark enemy.

As more residents of Hawkins are abducted, El gradually shows the boys that there may be some deviation from the side of Hawkins Lab, a government research facility located in their hometown of Hawkins, Indiana.

The teenage aspect of the show begins very reminiscent of popular coming of age high school films in the 1980s, such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). It focuses on Nancy, the sister of Will’s friend, Mike, as well as Will’s brother, Jonathan.

Nancy is caught up in dating the school’s heartbreaker and jock, Steven, as the events of Will’s disappearance unravel. Jonathan is distraught, and angry at himself for not being more careful and making sure Will was home the night he disappeared.

He’s deemed an outcast at school, with a huge passion for photography. As Nancy and Steven go out one night and party at Steven’s house, Jonathon is present taking unsolicited photographs behind the bushes. Nancy gets into a minor argument with her best friend, Barb, resulting in her leaving Nancy and Steven to themselves in the house.

As the night draws to a close and Nancy can’t find Barb anywhere, the disappearance of Will and the strange events unraveling in Hawkins become much more significant to her.

The adults’ story centers around Will’s mother, Joyce, played by perhaps the biggest star in the cast, Winona Ryder. Joyce makes her way to the police chief, Chief Hopper, the same hour she discovers the disappearance of Will.

She demands Hopper to everything in his power to locate the boy, noting their longtime familiarity as an incentive to make an exception to drop everything and find Will.

Hopper notes that kids always go missing, and that most of the time its on their own accord. Joyce takes this advice, and searches for Will in the woods, specifically his makeshift fort, Camp Byers.

As she realizes there is much more to Will’s disappearance than meets the eye, Joyce begins to lose her mind, attempting to talk to Will through the walls or using lights.

She eventually convinces Hopper to look further, and he discovers certain things that would suggest foul play, such as this Hawkins Lab searching relentlessly for a girl with a shaved head and the almost simultaneous disappearance of Will into nothingness.

Stranger Things’ employment of multiple viewpoints, ranging from age to age, allows for a look deeper into its story few other shows offer, such as Game of Thrones, which has used this strategy effectively.

The pop culture references are the icing on the cake, and it feels amazing to point out certain nods to familiar shows and movies from the golden age of sci-fi.

Stranger Things is a very unique gem, and while there were other, none will stack up to the nostalgia and pure fun that was present in this show.