The Addams Family
Hollywood adaptations of classic television shows are typically never good. Barry Sonnenfeld’s adaptation of The Addams Family is the exception to the rule. The Addams Family is a hilarious adaptation of the classic television series. The amount of macabre puns and gags is plenty and add a ton of fun to the film.
Not to mention, it’s fun seeing Fester progress towards remembering who he is. The entire situation is a fish out of water scenario–only the water is weird and full of horror. But once he begins to warm up to the Addams’, the film starts to show a lot of heart.
Unfortunately, the story of the film is very predictable–especially if you’ve ever watched the show. You know Fester is a part of the family. So the entire storyline of Fester not knowing who he is is a bit of a useless storyline. There are no surprises because you know that Fester will eventually stop betraying his family.
But the film wouldn’t work if it weren’t for the fantastic job by the entire cast. The entire cast embodies the souls of the original characters. First of all, Raul Julia is charming and over the top as Gomez Addams. At the same time, Angelica Huston is sexy and strong as Morticia Addams. Julia and Huston’s chemistry is everything you want in a Gomez and Morticia Addams relationship.
Christopher Lloyd, however, does a lot of heavy lifting in this film. Lloyd does a great job making you slightly question if he is Fester–even though we know he is. But his villainous tone to heroic tone is the heart and soul of the film.
Overall, The Addams Family is a fun adaptation of the classic television series. It may not be perfect by today’s standards but it’s still a film that has aged well.
Movie Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
Addams Family Values
As good as The Addams Family was, Addams Family Values is not as good as the original. Unfortunately, the film follows a similar storyline to the original film. This time around the film fractures the family apart and puts them in their storyline. But the main storyline involves Fester leaving the family once again. Much like the original, you know at some point he’ll stop betraying the family. It’s very predictable.
But the film doesn’t only focus on Fester, this time the film focuses on Wednesday too. Frustratingly enough, Wednesday’s camp storyline is wrought with annoying characters. Not to mention, her storyline has zero impact on the overall storyline. At the same time, the scenes at the camp are such a vast change in tone that it becomes a bit jarring.
Unfortunately, this focus on Fester and Wednesday means that the rest of the family aren’t in it as much. It’s a shame because we don’t see more of Gomez and Morticia’s hilarious relationship. The film doesn’t quite balance the characters as well as the first film. At the same time, the film doesn’t quite mix in this storyline as well either.
But the most egregious thing about the film is that the film is not as hilarious as the original. A lot of the macabre gags are rehashes of the original and it lacks the imagination of the original. Not to mention, the film lacks the heart of the original too. Everything just feels generic.
Overall, Addams Family Values is a film that was struck by the classic sequelitis. The sequel is worse than the original and doesn’t have the same type of heart and laughs as the original. You never feel like the sequel brings anything new to the table. Maybe this sequel should’ve been buried in the cemetery with the rest of the Addams.
Movie Rating: 2.5/5 atoms
Video
The Addams Family
The Addams Family hits Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-AVC with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The picture has a high contrast which ultimately leads to high brightness and crushed blacks. The high brightness has bright areas popping off the screen but it also leads to some bloom in these areas. At the same time, the black levels lead to some deep blacks but it also leads to some crush in these areas too. For a gothic film, the film doesn’t feature a ton of colors. Regardless, the colors look natural.
The details are also super clear as well. Not bad for a film released in 1991. You can see all of the grim details of the Addams’ house and Gomez’s elaborate outfits. Unfortunately, the detail clarity also highlights all of the dated CGI. Overall, this is a great Blu-ray release.
Video Rating: 4/5 atoms
Addams Family Values
Addams Family Values hits Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-AVC with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. As good as the picture for The Addams Family was, the picture for the sequel isn’t as good. With the balanced linear contrast, the brightness and black levels look better than the original. The brights are vivid but without any bloom whatsoever. At the same time, the black levels are deep without any crush either.
The problem with the video is that the color saturation is inconsistent. There are several times where the colors are washed and the skin tones look unnatural… In a none-Addams way. Most of the time, the colors look natural but it’s a little more saturated than the first film. Similarly, there are several scenes where the scenes are overly sharp where the edges look super-enhanced. Overall, the video transfer is not as good as first film.
Video Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
Audio
The Addams Family
The Addams Family hits Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The audio mix is one fun mix. The sound effects playfully pan throughout the soundstage. All of the macabre things that the Addams’ do, the sound effects accurately match the movement on the screen. Unfortunately, the sound effects sound dated and don’t sound that crisp. The atmospherics aren’t distinct nor does it happen a lot.
The music fills up the soundstage with Marc Shaiman’s score. The dialogue is clear. The bass from the subwoofer is infrequent but it does show up when the scene calls for it. Overall, this is a great audio mix.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Addams Family Values
Addams Family Values hits Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Much like the video, the audio mix is not as good as the first film. The mix just isn’t as fun. The sound effects do dynamically move through the soundstage but the mix does it more subtly. It’s not as distinct as the first film. At the same time, the atmospherics are subtle as well. This time around, Marc Shaiman’s score completely takes over the audio mix. It’s the most distinct part of the mix. The dialogue is also another distinct part of the mix. Overall, the mix is good but it’s much more subtle than the first film.
Audio Rating: 4/5 atoms
Special Features
Both The Addams Family And Addams Family Values doesn’t have any special features on the Blu-ray.
Special Features Rating: n/a
Overall, The Addams Family is a fun adaptation. The film may seem like it belongs in the 90s but it still stands the test of time. The video and audio mix is fantastic too.
Unfortunately, Addams Family Values isn’t as good as the original film. As a result, the film is the cause of Hollywood’s sequelitis. At the same time, the video and audio mix is subpar as well. It’s just a shame that there are no special features in both releases.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Paramount Home Entertainment.
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