Netflix has rolled out the trailer for the much-awaited Stranger Things season finale, Stranger Things 5, which will soon be available both in theater screens and on Netflix itself on December 31. ‘Rightside Up’ would be its title, an episode that runs for a total of two hours and five minutes. Coming off the heels of dropping the first part of Stranger Things 5 over Thanksgiving as ‘Vol. 1,’ viewers saw a climactic finish on its second part release over Christmas as ‘Vol. 2’ that was widely hated, and led to ‘Rightside Up.’
Vol. 2 ended with Max, returned to consciousness by the Hawkins gang, exposing Vecna’s intent to blend Earth with a parallel world called the Abyss. The group comes up with a bold plan to invade the Abyss, rescue the kidnapped children of Vecna, and then explode the portal using a bomb. The end of the season shows the dubious ritual by Vecna, masquerading as Henry Creel, commanding his mind-controlled followers to hold hands as they are transferred to the Abyss.
The stakes beyond the supernatural
Almost a decade ago, the Duffer brothers began work on Stranger Things, making it a global sensation ever since the launch of its first season in July 2016. The show balances well between horror elements involving the supernatural and character-driven stories, giving rise to a stage play, Stranger Things: First Shadow, which is being held in London, as well as on Broadway.
The Duffer brothers have clarified that Stranger Things’ final season explores much more than the danger of the supernatural entity Vecna. Eleven’s story would be defined within the contours of the idealistic view presented by Mike and the realistic worldview presented by Kali. Even assuming Eleven wins over Vecna, the military, represented by Dr. Kay, would be a continuous source of threat to Eleven. The finale is an important cultural event for Netflix, as the platform claims Stranger Things has racked up over 1.2 billion total views.
The finale will also be projected in over 500 theaters throughout the United States and Canada, with over 3,500 showtimes already sold out and more than 1.1 million RSVPs. The release of the series finale is important because it indicates the show has continued to be popular and gives the fans an opportunity to watch the conclusion of the Hawkins’ adventure on the big screen.
