371. The Addams Family; movie review

THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Cert PG
87 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild comic threat, language

Another week, another remake.
In the past few months, we have seen classic animations being turned into lesser 'real-life' versions - The Addams Family turns that concept on its head but still leaves its audience with an overwhelming sense of deja vu.
That's not too surprising because, house-trained lion aside, the characters are the same as we have known over many years.
As always, Morticia (voiced by Charlize Theron) and Gomez (Oscar Isaac) are madly in love in middle age, Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) is a pasty-faced know-it-all, Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) is indestructible and Lurch (Conrad Vernon) answers the door in a deep, scary voice.
And then there is Pudsey (Finn Wolfhard), the relatively normal member of the family who is just about to celebrate a special birthday at which he has to demonstrate his Addams credentials.
The preparations for the commemoration have the backdrop of a new town being built by TV makeover expert (Allison Janney) in the valley below the secluded Addams home.
Until now, the children have not had interaction with 'normal' folk so when they do all hell is literally let loose.
The problem with Vernon and Greg Tiernan's film is that it relies on the same jokes we have seen in Addams Family shows and films for decades.
It is no longer funny that Morticia and Gomez quip about the worst being the best or that Wednesday is the school outcast.
Nope, I can't raise a titter when Lurch says "Yuuuuuus" or when Fester is shot with an arrow through the ears without any obvious negative effect.
Nor does it surprise that the townsfolk run a mile when their ghoulish neighbours appear in the market place.
So, after the jokes fall flat, I was, yet again, asking myself what was the point?
Well, it looks good in a Nightmare Before Christmas sort of way and if you had never seen an Addams Family movie or TV episode it could be seen to be quite disarming.
But, for those of us who have history with them, it was a forgettable addition to an established franchise.

Reasons to watch: Decent animation
Reasons to avoid: Doesn't offer enough new

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? The Addams family were created by cartoonist Charles Addams and first appeared in the pages of The New Yorker, in 1938. They were not properly christened with individual names until the debut of the “Addams Family” TV show, in 1964.

Final word. Conrad Vernon: "I decided that we would go back to the original Charles Addams cartoons for inspiration. If (the film) was going to be animated we could do it exactly as (Addams) first envisioned it." Nightmarish Conjurings

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