Stranger Things Season 5 Lost Me at 50 Seconds In

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As a longtime fan of Stranger Things, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the final season for three years, and it’s finally here! Netflix just dropped the first four episodes, with more coming on Christmas Day and the very last episode arriving on New Year’s Eve. I’m pacing myself, watching one episode a day, and honestly, after the first one, I’m starting to worry this season might not live up to the hype. It’s a little unsettling, but we’ll see where it goes.

This article will have some SPOILERS for Stranger Things Seaosn 5 Episode 1

The fifth season of Stranger Things begins with a flashback to Will Byers’ experiences in the Upside Down during the first season. Around the 50-second mark, a close-up of Will reveals that Netflix tried to make him look younger using digital effects. Unfortunately, the result is unsettling and unnatural, reminiscent of the awkward animation in The Polar Express. The digital de-aging doesn’t look convincing and doesn’t accurately reflect how Will appeared in the show’s original season.

The episode starts with a digitally created flashback of Will climbing a tree to escape the Demogorgon. It’s a very unrealistic sequence – he makes impossible jumps between trees and then falls, only to be captured by Vecna. While this opening might be important, the awkward CGI of young Will was distracting, and honestly, it would have been better left out. Bad CGI really pulls me out of a story, and this opening left me with a negative first impression of the new season of Stranger Things.

Stranger Things Season 5 Will compared to Season 1 Will.

The first scene with Will isn’t great, but it’s not the only problem with the first episode of Stranger Things Season 5. The scene where Dustin is being bullied felt overly cheesy, like something you’d see on the Disney Channel, and it was really uncomfortable to watch. There are also several moments where characters awkwardly explain things to each other that they already know, seemingly just to fill in the audience.

The show sometimes relies on characters explaining things that have already been established or are obvious – like Hopper explaining why he doesn’t want Eleven to come to the Upside Down, or everyone suddenly defining what the ‘crawl’ is even though they’ve been doing it for a while. While this helps with clarity, it feels unnatural and pulls you out of the story, almost as much as the noticeably fake CGI in the opening scene.

Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 Isn’t All Bad

The first episode had some weak dialogue and a jump scare that felt like it was ripped from The Polar Express, which was a letdown. However, there were also parts I really liked, especially a touching conversation between Mike and Holly. I’m curious to see where the season’s mysteries lead, and I’ll be watching the rest of it, though I wish they hadn’t used the noticeably flawed de-aging effect in the opening scene.

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2025-11-27 09:34