‘The Addams Family’ Makes a Fun and Spooky Return to Theaters
‘The Addams Family’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
By Nelson Fernandez
They're creepy and they're kooky, and they’re back on the big screen. More than two decades since its last appearance in 1998, the new ‘Addams Family’ film was released on Oct. 11 that features the scary-yet-lovable gang, rendered in 3D computer animation. The animators at MGM Studios did a splendid job recreating the famous fictional family using modern animation tools, and the transitions from dark and gritty scenes to bright and colorful settings capture the comical tone of the characters as well as the film’s story.
Directed by Conrad Vernon, known for the film series ‘Shrek’ (2001-2010), and Gregory Tiernan, whose 2016 debut was ‘Sausage Party’, “The Addams Family” grossed $59.6 million in just one week. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Originally a comic created by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, it was later adapted into a black-and-white sitcom that lasted four seasons from 1964 to1999. The humorously dark family had been a nostalgic childhood memory before the announcement that a computer-animated reboot was in the works.
This history means that most of the audience who grew up with the live-action films and shows were displeased with the CG character style, as they ignore current designs resembling Charles Addams’ original vision for the family back in the 1930s. While it is understandable for older fans to criticize the animation based on previous adaptations, the comic reboot turned out surprisingly well.
Morticia and Gomez in ‘The Addams Family’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
The screenplay, written by Matt Lieberman and Pamela Pettler, tells a simple story about the family’s desire to be their creepy selves in peace. As seen in the film’s opening sequence, Gomez, voiced by Oscar Isaac and Morticia, by Charlize Theron, are attacked by pitchfork-wielding villagers during their wedding, simply for being perceived as too scary.
In search of a new life, the newlyweds drive off to live in an old haunted asylum they love. Soon after, audiences are introduced to new additions to the family: the lovable and violent children. Their daughter Wednesday is played by Chloe Grace Moretz, and son Pugsley, by Finn Wolfhard. The rest of the film makes the topic of character differences throughout the narrative, showing how people can be brought together, as opposed to torn apart.
At one point, the Addams’ prepare for “Mazurka,” a coming-of-age ceremony for young men in the family, whose traditions include performing a dance with a sword passed down to each male member in recognition of their ascension to manhood. However, Pugsley prefers explosive artillery over swords and struggles to express his true self during his turn.
Wednesday, on the other hand, finds conflict when she meets Parker (Elsie Fisher), a classmate who prompts her to begin attending junior high school. While spending time together, the new friends switch clothing styles; Wednesday decides to wear pink and a unicorn hairpin while Parker shaves her hair and dons all black, “going goth.”
Furious at her daughter’s transformation, Parker’s mother Margaux Needler, voiced by Allison Janney, commits herself to make the Addams family’s home brighter, more colorful, and “normal.”
‘The Addams Family’ (2019) may have a simple story to tell, but it teaches the moral of dealing with and accepting differences in people and their cultures, which is always an important topic to discuss. This dark comedy is entertaining, and any family would enjoy watching it together.
