One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026)
Movie · 2026 · Documentary · 2h 3m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.0/10 (39K ratings)
Overview
An inside look at the years of effort and craft that went into the final installment of the Duffer Brothers' generation-defining series.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.0/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.12/5
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Martina Radwan
Production
MakeMake
Cast
Ross Duffer, Matt Duffer, Paul Dichter, Kate Trefry, Caitlin Schneiderhan, Shawn Levy, Lampton Enochs, Chris Trujillo, Jess Royal, Amy Parris, Jamie Campbell Bower, Caleb Heymann, Brett Jutkiewicz, Tudor Jones, Hilary Leavitt, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Natalia Dyer
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished behind-the-scenes documentary for fans who want craft details, cast camaraderie, and a farewell to a major pop-culture phenomenon. It sounds emotionally effective in places, but the reception suggests the film also invites skepticism about the series’ creative process and may feel more like a promotional epilogue than a fully probing making-of.
Best for
devoted fans of the series
viewers who enjoy production process documentaries
audiences interested in television craft and set design
people looking for a sentimental farewell to a long-running franchise
Skip if
you want a critical or investigative documentary
you are already frustrated with the series’ ending
you dislike promotional behind-the-scenes features
you are not invested in the show or its cast
Overview
This is the kind of making-of documentary that lives or dies on your relationship to the original series. If you still care about the cast, the production scale, and the emotional end of a cultural phenomenon, there’s real appeal here: the labor, the logistics, and the farewell energy can be moving even when the final product is imperfect.
Worth noting
At the same time, the audience reaction points to a documentary that may be too close to its subject to challenge it. The tone sounds celebratory, but also unintentionally revealing, with viewers latching onto comments about unfinished scripts and creative chaos. That tension gives the film some intrigue, though not necessarily the kind of rigor that makes a great standalone documentary.
Bottom line
As a result, it plays best as a companion piece rather than an essential watch. Fans will likely find it emotional and illuminating; skeptics may see it as a glossy victory lap that confirms their doubts. The craft is the hook, but the subtext is the story.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ares ꩜★ (0.5★) · 2767 likes
whole ass documentary is just duffer glaze GTFOOOO fuck them i hope all of their future projects flop
some notes:- they shot the first episode without writing the finale script...no wonder the finale is shit. IT SHOWS & it's embarrassing that they admitted that- "ross and i had no interest in writing at all, we wanted to direct" AND IT SHOULD'VE STAYED THAT WAY!! ALSO THEY HAD MULTIPLE FUCKING CHATGPT TABS OPEN AT AROUND THE 40-41 MINUTE MARK. I… more
marcela____ · 2439 likes
they literally said "you can't leave anything dangling. You have to wrap everything up." and then they did the finale the way they did it
⊹ oliwia 🦇 ⋆ ˚｡⋆ (0.5★) · 1615 likes
“we went into production without having a finished script for the finale.”
“the whole episode has to be building towards eleven is going to kill herself.”
“ross and i had no interest in writing at all.”
“we haven’t even tried this. this is gonna be a shit show.”
“i’m assuming it should feel kind of powerful. — she [kali] is going to be shot.”
“she [eleven] has to be gone in order for them to move on.”
“we are shooting… more “we went into production without having a finished script for the finale.”
“the whole episode has to be building towards eleven is going to kill herself.”
“ross and i had no interest in writing at all.”
“we haven’t even tried this. this is gonna be a shit show.”
“i’m assuming it should feel kind of powerful. — she [kali] is going to be shot.”
“she [eleven] has to be gone in order for them to move on.”
“we are shooting… more
🐊🪽 (2.5★) · 1247 likes
having chatgpt open while writing your script is incredibly telling
2008 · Action, Comedy, Adventure · 1h 47m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A satirical take on production egos and the absurdities of filmmaking culture.
1977 · Science Fiction, Drama · 2h 17m · PG · Curator 8.0/10 (558.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Peacock Premium, TCM, Peacock Premium Plus
A great fit for the wonder, scale, and emotional spectacle that fans of big-idea genre storytelling often enjoy.
Topics
behind-the-scenes, documentary, television production, fan culture, nostalgia, creative process, ensemble, final season, pop-culture phenomenon, industry labor