Stranger Things - The Experience - Review
The difficulty with creating any immersive experience based on an intellectual property such as a film or TV show, is that people want to be a part of a story they know and love. Yet the audience will also be completely cognizant of the ending of the story and the fate of any characters within. This is one of the biggest problems for Stranger Things the Experience which opened in London last month.
The success of season 4 which has recently aired on Netflix, has meant that everyone is aware that (spoilers ahead) Vecna has been banished, Papa is dead, and Hawkins is about to teeter on the edge of the Upside Down. The answer to this? Set the experience at a time BEFORE the activities on season 4, yet retrofit the situation to keep reference to the current events.
In fact, this is logical, as this London experience is a remix of the US based event that first aired after season three. It is great to see the original actors included throughout, but it’s also a bit jarring that they are still children, when we have recently spent a whole season watching them as young adults.
But on to the experience itself. Based at Troubadour studious near Brent Cross (clearly an ex Toys R Us store!) we are invited into a guided tour of Hawkins lab where filmed sections introduce us to several key characters from the series. Once on our tour, we were encouraged to explore our telekinetic powers through several impressive special effect tricks (we still aren’t sure how they managed to do the Pepsi can effect so effortlessly!)
Obviously, it soon becomes apparent that something is wrong and as we explore deeper through the lab, we end up using our newfound powers in a number of tricks and stunts that are fun (but do you leave you feeling a bit self-conscious as you stand making strange hand gestures a la Eleven in the show.
Without giving too much away, one of our highlights was the lab scene where the realistic looking glass doors and windows around us gave us a glimpse into the chaos happening outside. The demi-dogs had gotten out and no-on was safe!
Obviously, any Stranger Things experience would not be complete with a visit to the Upside Down and it here where the big finale is played out with some of the most impressive 3D we have ever experienced. The ultra-high-definition curved screen meant creatures seemed to pop out, and several times we genuinely jumped to avoid something heading straight towards us.
It's also here that we feel there must have been changes to the US show to include season 4's big villain Vecna. We aren’t sure what was in the original version but let’s just say this scene could have helped with some Kate Bush blasting out - poor Max really seems to get the brunt of things at times!
Fortunately, the story is wrapped up suitably well for the experience without contradicting the time frame and narrative of the TV series.
So, before we go onto the after show, we must just mention the obvious sound bleed between rooms and lack of ceilings throughout. It was disappointing to hear other groups at times and the first room echoed from the music in the Mix Tape area for after the event. For the prices paid for this – we wouldn’t have expected such an issue. It didn’t ruin the experience for us – it was just annoying.
So, alongside the 30-minute experience in the labs, The Stranger Things experience also includes Mix Tape – an 80's themed area reminiscent of the Starcourt Mall from season 3. Here you can visit Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlour from Season 3, grab pizza from Surfer Boy from season 4, sit in Joyce Byer’s front room as per season 1 or come face to face with Vecna in a photo opportunity. The area is filled with the sounds of the 80's whilst roaming characters interact with guests as they explore the retail and catering units and the bar. We spent a good hour or so just soaking up the atmosphere (and cocktails) in this area, and any Stranger Things fan would appreciate everything there is to offer.
S0 finally – if you have never seen Stranger Things – should you go to see this show? There’s certainly a lot to be impressed by but the sheer joy of this comes from seeing people and places that you know and being able to be a part of them. Let’s face it – Millie Bobbie Brown isn't the most evocative actor and has clearly phoned in her part for this experience, but the other kids add some great enthusiasm to their segments each time they appeared. Also – the monsters themselves (and the big bad Vecna) are scarier if you know what their true capabilities etc.
All in – we had a real blast at Stranger Things the Experience. The mix of familiar characters, technology and story telling all combined to make a great immersive experience that any fan of the show would love!
The success of season 4 which has recently aired on Netflix, has meant that everyone is aware that (spoilers ahead) Vecna has been banished, Papa is dead, and Hawkins is about to teeter on the edge of the Upside Down. The answer to this? Set the experience at a time BEFORE the activities on season 4, yet retrofit the situation to keep reference to the current events.
In fact, this is logical, as this London experience is a remix of the US based event that first aired after season three. It is great to see the original actors included throughout, but it’s also a bit jarring that they are still children, when we have recently spent a whole season watching them as young adults.
But on to the experience itself. Based at Troubadour studious near Brent Cross (clearly an ex Toys R Us store!) we are invited into a guided tour of Hawkins lab where filmed sections introduce us to several key characters from the series. Once on our tour, we were encouraged to explore our telekinetic powers through several impressive special effect tricks (we still aren’t sure how they managed to do the Pepsi can effect so effortlessly!)
Obviously, it soon becomes apparent that something is wrong and as we explore deeper through the lab, we end up using our newfound powers in a number of tricks and stunts that are fun (but do you leave you feeling a bit self-conscious as you stand making strange hand gestures a la Eleven in the show.
Without giving too much away, one of our highlights was the lab scene where the realistic looking glass doors and windows around us gave us a glimpse into the chaos happening outside. The demi-dogs had gotten out and no-on was safe!
Obviously, any Stranger Things experience would not be complete with a visit to the Upside Down and it here where the big finale is played out with some of the most impressive 3D we have ever experienced. The ultra-high-definition curved screen meant creatures seemed to pop out, and several times we genuinely jumped to avoid something heading straight towards us.
It's also here that we feel there must have been changes to the US show to include season 4's big villain Vecna. We aren’t sure what was in the original version but let’s just say this scene could have helped with some Kate Bush blasting out - poor Max really seems to get the brunt of things at times!
Fortunately, the story is wrapped up suitably well for the experience without contradicting the time frame and narrative of the TV series.
So, before we go onto the after show, we must just mention the obvious sound bleed between rooms and lack of ceilings throughout. It was disappointing to hear other groups at times and the first room echoed from the music in the Mix Tape area for after the event. For the prices paid for this – we wouldn’t have expected such an issue. It didn’t ruin the experience for us – it was just annoying.
So, alongside the 30-minute experience in the labs, The Stranger Things experience also includes Mix Tape – an 80's themed area reminiscent of the Starcourt Mall from season 3. Here you can visit Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlour from Season 3, grab pizza from Surfer Boy from season 4, sit in Joyce Byer’s front room as per season 1 or come face to face with Vecna in a photo opportunity. The area is filled with the sounds of the 80's whilst roaming characters interact with guests as they explore the retail and catering units and the bar. We spent a good hour or so just soaking up the atmosphere (and cocktails) in this area, and any Stranger Things fan would appreciate everything there is to offer.
S0 finally – if you have never seen Stranger Things – should you go to see this show? There’s certainly a lot to be impressed by but the sheer joy of this comes from seeing people and places that you know and being able to be a part of them. Let’s face it – Millie Bobbie Brown isn't the most evocative actor and has clearly phoned in her part for this experience, but the other kids add some great enthusiasm to their segments each time they appeared. Also – the monsters themselves (and the big bad Vecna) are scarier if you know what their true capabilities etc.
All in – we had a real blast at Stranger Things the Experience. The mix of familiar characters, technology and story telling all combined to make a great immersive experience that any fan of the show would love!
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