Amazon's Newspapers didn't make a new Stranger Things. But it was a good drama.

On July 29, the first season of The Paperwomen, based on the comics of the famous Brian K. Vaughn ("The Runaways", "Y: The Last Man"). Looking at the trailers of this project, you might think that the authors copied the plot and entourage of Stranger Things: again the atmosphere of the 80s, young heroes become witnesses of a supernatural phenomenon.

In fact, Paper Girls comics started coming out at the end of 2015. And the Netflix hit came about six months later. So the film adaptation doesn't try to refer to Stranger Things, especially since after the first episode the atmosphere of the Paper Girl changes a lot.

But the problem of the series is that it is the fantastic component that is the weakest part of it. But the drama turned out to be very interesting.

The plot in the series "Newspaperwomen" develops very cheerfully

In 1988, immediately after halloween Young Erin, from a Chinese immigrant family, gets a job for the first time. Early in the morning she goes to deliver newspapers, immediately meets three more girls: the hooligan Mack, the smart Tiffany and the quiet KJ from a Jewish family.

Very quickly, they get into a fight with hooligans, then an accident almost happens, followed by a couple more unexpected events. And now all four are in 2019. Now they have to figure out what kind of strange people are hunting them and how to return home.

The beginning of The Paperwomen is a real treat for those who are tired of serials with a slow start. The authors skip the introduction in one short series, immediately plunging the heroines into the main events.

And in general, given that there are only eight episodes in the season with an average of 45 minutes each, the viewer simply does not have time to get bored. Girls quickly move into the future and immediately look for matured versions of themselves and their families.

In parallel, they understand what is happening and get involved in the confrontation between the two groups. The bonus is memory erasure, combat robots and even some dinosaurs.

Not everyone can handle six hours of viewing, but in two doses, the series can definitely be watched avidly: events are developing very dynamically.

But the fantasy part is boring

Alas, the very foundation of the plot quickly turns into the weakest part of the series. And on all counts.

The simplest and most obvious problem is that The Paperwomen has very mediocre graphics. So, purple fog, although it looks implausible, but does not interfere with following the plot. But when it comes to action scenes, all sorts of fantastic technologies and unusual creatures, I want to check: is this definitely not a series from Asylum or at least The CW?

Of course, in the Netflix series Darkness, the special effects also looked outdated, but they were not brought to the fore anywhere. "Newspapers" sometimes try to pretend to be cool science fiction, but it's just painful to look at.

Incidentally, the referencedarknessHere, too, it is no coincidence. Indeed, in terms of talking about time travel and attempts to change the future (and past), The Paperwomen is far inferior to this series and many other well-developed stories. In both projects, there are two certain forces that perceive time travel differently. But if in "Darkness" each opinion was worked out as detailed as possible, here they only throw in a few basic ideas, but do not even try to figure them out, leaving the viewer without answers.

Perhaps this is the seed for a second season. But still, it was worth giving at least some food for thought, and not clichéd villains.

The dramatic part of the "Newspapers" tells about the collapse of hopes

But when it comes to personal stories, the series opens up. It seems that the authors initially rely on drama, which is why science fiction is relegated to the background.

You can simply say that The Paperwomen is a series about the collapse of hopes. Or at least that no one can imagine how his life will go on. When watching, you will involuntarily think: what would I say to myself at the age of 12? Or even more difficult: how would a 12-year-old me react if he saw me now? I really don't want him to be disappointed.

It is clear that general changes in the world are also shown in the background: technology, which now seem familiar, 30 years ago were just fantastic. And in general, "Newspapers" explain that a person very easily gets used to literally any circumstances. But it is the personal feelings of the heroines from looking into the future that are the best that is in the season.

But to talk on topical topics at the "Newspapers" does not come out

Modern cinema is often accused of being too social, and this is usually unfounded. Alas, in the case of the Paperwomen, such claims may be justified.

It seems that the creators take very important topics and speak about them correctly. But from time to time they seem to change their sense of proportion. Separate scenes, even in the first episode, literally turn into an agitation, where obvious things are explained in plain text.

In the same way, in the world of the future, heroes regularly report what words can no longer be expressed and how the attitude towards migrants has changed. Very useful and relevant words. But perhaps it should have been written into the plot, and not just read out as a training manual.

The Paperwomen is unlikely to be as big a hit as Stranger Things. The series shows the relationship of teenagers and personal drama well, but the fantastic part does not catch on. Therefore, the project will surely please one or two evenings, and then quickly forgotten.