Stranger Things five, volume one review:

After three long years of silence, the gates to Hawkins creak open once more—older, darker, and hungrier than ever. Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 arrives like a long-awaited storm, sweeping the audience back into a world where friendship is a weapon, nightmares bleed into reality, and the Upside Down finally reveals its darkest secrets. Set in 1987, the last season begins not with nostalgia, but with the chilling reminder that the horrors unleashed beneath Hawkins have grown monstrously powerful. The young cast we met as children in 2016 return as adults in both age and performance, delivering a raw, emotional story that feels like the final chapter of a decade-long legend.

The story opens with the familiar tension of small-town calm masking roaring chaos underneath. The Upside Down has fully cracked open, its rotting underworld spilling into Hawkins like poisonous fog. But this time, it isn’t just monsters crawling through—it’s the past, the truth, and the consequences of every mistake made since the day Will Byers vanished. Vecna—better known as Henry Creel or One—returns in a more terrifying form, armed with a new hunger and a horrifying plan. No longer satisfied with haunting teenagers, he now targets younger children, beginning with Holly Wheeler, the innocent sister of Mike and Nancy. In a twisted mental realm, he appears to her as an imaginary friend—playful, comforting, and quietly deadly. For the audience, this new tactic is chilling, a sinister reminder that Vecna has evolved, learning how to dig deeper into the human mind.

Mike, Nancy, and the rest of the gang reunite within a town under military lockdown. Hawkins feels less like a community now and more like a war zone, where the military controls the streets and the smell of fear is constant. Amid this chaos, the group decides to fulfill what Mike declares their ultimate duty: make sure this “wrinkled, noseless, rotting monster” is destroyed once and for all. Their mission gains urgency when a new human enemy is introduced—Doctor Kay, played with cold brilliance by Linda Hamilton. As a ruthless military scientist, she sees Eleven not as a girl but as a weapon—a fugitive that must be captured before her powers unleash more destruction.

Eleven and Hopper are on the run, fleeing the government while carrying the emotional weight of everything they've survived. Hopper, once broken in a Russian prison, now stands as the seasoned warrior: a father figure determined to protect Eleven with everything he has left. Their storyline is tense and intimate, layered with guilt and hope. Eleven, still grappling with the consequences of losing and regaining her powers, knows that this time, the fate of the world rests heavier on her shoulders than ever before.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team—Dustin, Steve, Robin, Lucas, Will, Nancy, and Mike—set out to decipher Vecna’s new strategy. The Duffers make a deliberate choice to reconnect the new season with the roots of the series. Fans will feel echoes of 2016 everywhere: the same forests, the same flickering lights, the same creeping dread. Yet everything feels much darker, more mature, as if the world itself has grown up with the characters. The group uses increasingly wild methods—like experimental radio-tracking systems—to understand the hive mind of the Upside Down. But the more they investigate, the more they realize the line between the real world and the alternate dimension is dissolving. Tunnels morph into streets, shadows merge into buildings, and at times, the characters themselves struggle to distinguish whether they are above ground or trapped inside the Upside Down’s suffocating fog.

The heart of the story, as always, rests on the characters' relationships. Steve and Dustin return as the franchise’s most beloved duo, their comedic timing cutting through the tension like sunlight in a storm. Dustin, now older but still holding onto the pure bravery of his childhood, shines in scenes where his intelligence becomes a lifeline. Robin, played by Maya Hawke with emotional depth, becomes the voice of inner strength. In one pivotal moment, she delivers a speech reminding a struggling character that self-belief is the greatest weapon against fear. These friendships—tested, scarred, yet unbroken—become the central theme of the season.

The season’s mysteries begin to finally unravel. Fans get long-awaited answers: Who took Will in the very beginning? Why was he chosen? And what role does he secretly play in Vecna’s plan? The Duffers weave these revelations into emotional scenes that leverage flashbacks from earlier seasons, creating a narrative full-circle effect that feels both nostalgic and rewarding. It's clear from the writing that this final season isn’t just about defeating monsters—it’s about resolving the emotional journeys that began in bedrooms, basements, and bike rides nearly a decade ago.

However, despite all the emotional weight, the season isn't without its flaws. The plot occasionally falls into repetitive patterns—Will’s prickly-skin warnings, Kate Bush’s overplayed anthem, and a quest structure somewhat similar to Season 4. But these minor issues feel insignificant when compared to the giant cinematic spectacle the Duffer Brothers have created. The visual effects are richer, the action sequences more explosive, and the stakes unmistakably higher.

Episode 4 becomes the defining climax of Volume 1. At 81 minutes, it plays like a blockbuster movie—flamethrowers igniting the dark, grenades echoing through collapsing tunnels, military soldiers clashing with demogorgons in scenes that feel like a war film fused with supernatural horror. As armies clash above ground and monstrous forces surge from below, Hawkins transforms into the battleground for humanity’s survival. Two shocking twists in the final moments leave viewers breathless and desperate for more, setting the stage for the Christmas Day episodes and the standalone New Year’s Eve finale.

By the end of Volume 1, one truth becomes painfully clear: this isn’t just another season. This is the beginning of the end—a farewell tour that balances character, chaos, and heart. The friendships that fueled the story for nearly ten years now carry its emotional weight. The mysteries that hooked audiences in Season 1 finally come together in a way that feels earned. And the threat of Vecna looms more terrifyingly than ever, promising that the final confrontation will be nothing short of epic.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 succeeds as both a nostalgic love letter and a shocking escalation. It’s thrilling, emotional, messy at times—but powerful where it matters most. If the remaining episodes continue with this energy, the series seems destined to deliver one of television’s most unforgettable endings.