Review: The Addams Family 2

The Addams Family 2 (2021)

Director: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon

Writers: Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Ben Queen, and Susanna Fogel

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Javon Walton, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Knight, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, and Bill Hader

Plot: When Wednesday starts to doubt whether or not she’s really an Addams, Gomez distracts the family with a cross country road trip.

Review: In a weird, unplanned bit of theming for this weekend’s releases, I feel almost exactly the same about The Addams Family 2 as I did Venom 2. It’s a sequel to a movie I avoided for years, but then finally gave in to have it exceed expectations. Then, I enjoyed the sequel just about as much as the original because it gave me more of the same. The difference here though is that I actually liked The Addams Family 2 a little less than it’s predecessor instead of a little more.

Honestly, I’m pretty in the middle when it comes to this Addams Family franchise. I do not think they’re nearly as good as the previous reboot from my childhood. I wish they were a bit darker in their sense of humor and the animation looks a tad cheap. However, they’re not nearly as bad as they could be either. It still feels very much like The Addams Family, which is more than I can say for other reboots like Peter Rabbit and The Smurfs. If you’re a fan of the original series, there’s at least a decent chance that you’ll enjoy these. They’re not the funniest movies, but they do play mostly to the same drum as previous interpretations. In a couple of years, you’ll be able to reference The Addams Family to kids that grew up on this and overall be talking about the same source material. That’s kind of unusual in today’s market.

But, this one does make a bit of a turn in the third act. There are a few moments in the climax that felt straight out of a different franchise. Like you’d have the characters in Despicable Me in this kind of predicament, not the Addams Family. I understand how they got there, but it’s just a tad too grand and adventurous for our favorite creepy and kooky family to be mixed up in. So, that takes this one down a notch slightly. I don’t think it’s enough to warn fans of the franchise to stay away, but it’s definitely worth mentioning.

Overall, I still felt very much the same about The Addams Family 2 as I did the first. I’m not upset that I watched it, but I don’t think I would again. I wasn’t bored, but I wouldn’t say I had a good time either. It’s just a very ok movie that’s only impressive because it could’ve been so much worse. And, as sad as it sounds, that’s kind of something to celebrate.

Score: 6/10 (Okay)