Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Release Date: 1991
Running Time: 1hr 39 minutes
Genre: Family
Rating: PG
Format: Blu-Ray
Synopsis:
Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long lost uncle.
Based on the quirky cartoon of the same name by Charles Addams. Director Barry Sonnelfeld, brings the eccentric family to life! At first glance if you were to compare it to the original TV show, you would notice a few changes, however these changes have by no means ruined the film. The storyline is essentially all of the episodes from the original show rolled into one. The show was exceptionally simple. In the film, Thing travels through the hallways in an arachnid type fashion. In the show, Thing always remained inside a box and would only be seen on screen delivering post to The Addams family. Director Barry Sonnenfeld has added almost an dark noir element to the film. I can remember being quite shocked when I watched the show for the first time. The film is very dark in comparison. There's a horror esque feel to it.
Wednesday Addams (Ricci) in particular has a very dark sense of humour in the film. In the show, she was much younger in age and had more innocence to her. Christopher Lloyd shows great depth in his characterisation as Fester Addams. At first glance, it's almost impossible to believe it's the same man that we all loved in "Back to the Future", Lloyd is a wonderful versatile actor, delivering a tremendous performance. Anjelica Houstan stars as Morticia Addams, who also delivers a darker performance than her character in the show. It works. It adds a sense of mystery and excitement to the story. Although the film shows a great deal of humour, it's certainly darker in comparison to the show, which showed a great deal of comedy.
The production design for this film is really quite phenomenal. I love the intricate details that have gone into making the Addams mansion look authentic. It's one of those set designs that you desperately want to explore. I have a confession. I may have seen this more times than I should have. I've even seen it live on stage. It doesn't matter how many times I view it, I manage to notice something different everytime. The attention to detail is really quite incredible. Plenty of things have been crossed over from the show into the movie. I really love that we got to see more of cousin IT, he sadly didn't make that many appearances in the show.
The storyline is very tongue in cheek and for the most part very predictable. It's a magnificent family film, that children of all ages can really love and understand. The special effects are excellent, considering this was made twenty-seven years ago. The effects were very good for their time, Thing especially, looks superb. There are a couple of editing issues, but nothing that should discourage you from enjoying it. Wonderfully directed and beautifully shot, for Sonnenfeld's directorial debut, he's done a magnificent job. A film that has now gone on to be a classic amongst family's. The use of a contemporary soundtrack adds a lovely sense of quirkiness to the storyline. This is one film, you don't want to miss. Perfect for those rainy days.
4/5/5 stars
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