★★★
Members of the mysterious and spooky Addams family prepare for a visit from their even creepier relatives.
Classification: PG
Combining the spirit of the original comics and television series with a modern twist, this animated reboot of The Addams Family is a sure-fire hit for nostalgic adults and curious children. Incorporating a mix of Charles Addams's original designs alongside a burst of Burton-esque flair, the characters and story continue the family's tradition of gothic celebration and individuality. With a voice cast that embodies their characters remarkably well especially leads Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron as the family patriarch and matriarch respectively there is much fun to be had with the new interpretations of the beloved characters.
While new with fresh animation and action, The Addams Family still has its classic charm as directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan make sure to pay tribute to the history of the iconic family. From the unforgettable theme that has the whole audience snapping their fingers before the opening titles to appearances from fan favourite characters such as Cousin Itt, there is plenty for the audience to enjoy. The very design of the film feels reminiscent to Tim Burton's early films Edward Scissorhands or Nightmare Before Christmas as the plot revolves around the gothic bizarre clashing with more conventional characters. After over a decade of self-imposed exile from the modern world, Gomez and Morticia Addams discover that the swamp that concealed their family home has been developed into a planned community. Aptly named Assimilation the various Addams find their way of life threatened by the controlling Margaux Needler, a home makeover television host who wants the family gone to preserve her perfect town image.
The animation style of the film is very clean and polished despite the more peculiar nature of the characters but it does accentuate their more noticeable traits. Morticia long spindly frame against Gomez's or Fester's rounder designs, Wednesday's pale face and pigtail nooses or Lurch's Frankenstein features. At times one would wish that The Addams Family embraced a more classic approach to the animation as some of that detail seems lost in the more modern techniques. It works well in creating the town of Assimilation but in terms of highlighting the differences of the Addams family to everyone else, it's mostly reliant on colours and shapes rather than a different style. Stop motion especially with the Burton influences could have been an interesting approach for the film.
The film doesn't fall into modern animation traps of using cringe-worthy pop culture references or sudden break into a pop song that breaks the immersion. Instead, the filmmakers incorporate these specific threads organically into the world of the story. References to other horror films and monsters are done in favour of allusions to celebrities and even the use of more modern music is filtered through brief episodes of Lurch playing the piano. Nothing is outright awkward or cringe-worthy and the film is able to inject contemporary ideas such as social media and "cancel culture" into its narrative to improve its messaging. The film however never feels like "Millennial Addams Family" as it's all about the peculiar nature of the family clashing with suburbia and so the film wishes to celebrate the eccentricities of the Addams through creepy and kooky antics such as swordplay, guillotines and seances.
At its core, The Addams Family tells a story about embracing individuality both with The Addams not wishing to conform to Assimilation's aesthetic but with the storylines between the parents and children. Both Wednesday and Pugsley Addams are not fully satisfied by their current situation, Wednesday wishes to explore the modern world, attend school and discover new ways to torture children her own age. Pugsley, on the other hand, is woefully unprepared for an ancient Addams ritual of swordplay that shall be witnessed by the entire extended Addams family due to his talent and preference for explosive weaponry. Gomez and Morticia approach to their children's issues are to have them conform to Addams tradition rather than embrace the new or unorthodox, it may seem out of character for the loving couple to work against their children but it stems from a fear that their way of life is in danger of becoming obsolete. Through their conflict with Assimilation, both Gomez and Morticia realise their children's unique strengths are what makes them special and celebrate their differences.
The whole film is a celebration of the bizarre, its fun and quirky that mixes action and spooky scares well for a family audience. Its great introduction for those only aware of the characters in passing and gives every Addams a moment to shine bright. Isaac and Theron capture the love and dynamic of Gomez and Morticia effortlessly with Chloë Grace Moretz's Wednesday stealing the scene at regular intervals with her deadpan delivery. Nick Kroll's Uncle Fester along with Lurch and Thing are sidelined to comic relief as the film puts more focus on the core family than the more eccentric members. That doesn't mean there isn't enough madness to go around as The Addams Family remain as strange and deranged delivering a fun animated romp for the whole family.
Director: #ConradVernon and #GregTiernan
Cast: #OscarIsaac, #CharlizeTheron, #ChloëGraceMoretz, #FinnWolfhard, #NickKroll, #SnoopDogg, #BetteMidler, #AllisonJanney
Release Date: October 25th 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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