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  1. Entertainment
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One Stranger Things actor only rated the season 5 finale 3.5 stars on Letterboxd

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By Emily Garbutt published 14 January 2026

The Stranger Things finale received a lukewarm reaction from one of the show's actors

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Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5
(Image credit: Netflix)
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The Stranger Things season 5 finale has proved controversial – and even one of the show's own actors has given the episode a fairly lukewarm rating on Letterboxd.

Raphael Luce, who played a younger version of Henry Creel, i.e. the kid who would grow up to become Vecna, gave the season 5 finale three-and-a-half stars (and a heart) on Letterboxd. "The end," he wrote by way of a review.

Luce seems to have removed half a star since he first watched the finale, too, as one fan commented, "is it really 4 stars tho i mean is it reeeeally."

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  • Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Sadie Sink as Max, Noah Schnapp as Will, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin in Stranger Things season 5 I love Stranger Things, but I can't help feeling short-changed by season 5's lacklustre finale
  • Matthew Modine as Dr. Martin Brenner in Stranger Things 4 Stranger Things' Papa star Matthew Modine didn't enjoy the finale, and hopes Confrmity Gate is real "for the fans"

The actor appeared in flashbacks to Henry's childhood in four episodes of Stranger Things season 4, and even appears in season 5 for young Henry flashbacks. Jamie Campbell Bower plays the adult version of Henry and his ultimate monstrous form of Vecna.

In the newly released documentary One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things, showrunners the Duffer Brothers revealed that the finale was "the most difficult writing circumstance we’ve ever found ourselves in." The final episode has come under fire from fans, and some even launched a conspiracy, known as Conformity Gate, that an extra secret episode was on the way to serve as the "real" finale.

Stranger Things season 5 is now streaming on Netflix. For more on the show's final season, check out our verdict in our Stranger Things season 5 finale review, or get up to speed with our Stranger Things season 5 finale ending explained.

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Emily Garbutt
Emily Garbutt
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Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related. I help bring you all the latest news, features, and reviews, as well as helming our Big Screen Spotlight column. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.

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