Anna Daniels
If you’ve ever watched a random double-feature of Michael Mann’s Collateral and Wes Craven’s Red Eye, and said: “Hey, someone should combine these two movies into one thing!”, Quibi is here for you. The Stranger, the latest original from the short-form streaming service, appears to be heavily influenced by both of those movies, as rideshare driver Maika Monroe finds herself targeted by a crazed killer, played by Dane DeHaan. A new The Stranger featurette goes behind-the-scenes of the series.
The Stranger Featurette
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdr_lynnOgk?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]
Every time a new Quibi title is revealed, I can’t help but take a step back and ask: “Does this really need to be on Quibi?” In other words, does the show in question benefit from being broken up into 5-10 minute segments, all of which you have to watch on your phone? More often than not, I feel like the answer is: “No.” Which is a shame, because I’ve seen a handful of Quibi shows, and some of them are actually quite good – but they’re good despite the Quibi format, not because of it.
Which brings us to The Stranger, a new series written and directed by Veena Sud (The Killing). In the series, “An unassuming young rideshare driver is thrown into her worst nightmare when a mysterious Hollywood Hills passenger enters her car. Her terrifying, heart-stopping ride with the stranger unfolds over 12 hours as she navigates the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in a chilling game of cat and mouse.”
This sounds kind of neat, and I like the footage shown in the featurette. But again: wouldn’t this work better as a normal series, and not one with mini-episodes? Maybe. Maybe not. As star Maika Monroe explains, the entire series takes place over the course of one night, and as a result, every episode is packed with stuff that will hopefully grab you and keep you watching.
The Stranger is now streaming on Quibi.
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