Netflix 'The OA' Review Roundup: What Critics Think & What To Expect; How It Compares To 'Stranger Things'

Netflix released the teaser of "The OA" unexpectedly 5 days before its premiere. Directed by Zal Batmanglij with star Brit Marling, the new series is about a blind girl named Prairie who disappeared and presumed kidnapped, only to come back after 7 years with her eyesight. Her return is slowly unveiled by Prairie herself as she explains where she's been all along, how she got her eyesight, where she got her scars, and why she wants to be called "The OA."

Entertainment Weekly rates "The OA" Netflix series B+ as the critic commends its terrific cast, Marling and Jason Isaac. The review compares the series from "Stranger Things" which is nostalgic in nature while "The OA" is "fresher" and is a visual "page-turner." While both have "secrets and surprises," are very different from each other.

IGN rating of "The OA" is 8.2/10. According to the review, "The OA" is a combination of fantasy and fiction which has a mix of reality, survival and hope into the story. While there are some missing points here and there, the story itself is enough to immerse the audience into the series.

A review by Variety starts with the conclusion that it is a challenge to take "The OA" seriously. The last episode can be difficult to decipher, though, as it ends with a shallow ploy for dramatic purposes. While it is "fascinating" as it is "adventurous" considering the air time and episode limit of the narrative, its sincerity communicates well with the audience and its mystery is unveiled even more.

Hollywood Reporter, however, thinks that "The OA" is a "recipe for disappointment" as it entices but leaves audience empty. The review also states that while the viewers may think the ideas around the story is intelligent, the plot gets "dumber" and "more illogical" as episodes go by. It doesn't follow through on the eagerness it builds for the viewers, but it does have a reasonable structure into its storytelling. In the end, the critic admires Netflix for being brave enough to create such an unusual series.

"The OA" is airing on Netflix.