“The Addams Family” Movie Review
The evolution of the infamous Addams Family has changed quite consistently through its different on-screen adaptations. “The Addams Family” was created in 1938, originally as a cartoon comic strip series, but then it went on to have different interpretations on screen, via TV sitcoms, live-action movies and even an animated series.
“The Addams Family” is filled with a star-studded cast and crew, to say the least. Finn Wolfhard, breakout star from the hit TV show, “Stranger Things,” plays Pugsley Addams. Chloë Grace Mortez plays one of the most popular daughters in TV and movies, Wednesday Addams. Parents of the siblings, Morticia and Gomez, are portrayed by Charlize Theron and Oscar Isaac. Directors of the animated film “Sausage Party,” Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, also directed this adaptation of “The Addams Family.”
The movie has an interesting starting point, as the viewer is taken all the way back to the core of the Addams Family: the wedding of Gomez and Morticia. The wedding doesn’t go as planned due to raging villagers chasing off the couple, causing them to end up in New Jersey.
They turn to an abandoned asylum to create a home, which couldn’t be more fitting for the creepiest and kookiest family. It isn’t easy for a family to move into a new neighborhood, especially one that is unfamiliar. The task for Gomez and Morticia is to leave their comfort zone by meeting new people and adapting to their new surroundings.
The only problem is that they don’t realize how unusual they are. That includes their appearance, their everyday tendencies and how they interact with people who aren’t like them. This causes a drift between the family and the people they meet, raising suspicions that the Addams family isn’t a family that belongs. The Addamses are accused of being “monsters.” The family wants to prove that this isn’t the case and that they are just the same as any other family is.
The interpretations of the characters of the Addams Family, including Gomez, Moriticia, Wednesday and Pugsley, were animated quite perfectly. Cousin Itt, played by Snoop Dogg, Lurch, played by Conrad Vernon, and Uncle Fester, played by Nick Kroll, also made their much-anticipated appearances. Addams Family fans also can’t forget about one of the staple characters from the franchise, Thing, the strange hand that serves the Addams family. The movie did a great job of casting, as all of the voices capture these well-known characters with a great modern twist.
Even though the casting and aesthetically pleasing animations were executed well the plot of “The Addams Family” is anti-climactic. The movie creates some undeniable laughs because of how over-the-top and comedic the family is, but the movie hit a stand-still and stayed there throughout most of the film. “The Addams Family” is quite short, and this problem could have been fixed by intensifying the plot.
Although the plot isn’t anything special, the movie does carry a great message of not judging a book by it’s cover, instead accepting people for their hearts and not for their appearance.
Rating: 3/5
Emily Mugno is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email esm6@psu.edu.
