Source: Unsplash by John Bearby Images
The Addams Family wowed everyone when it came out. But it was decades ago, and since we live in the era of remakes and sequels, it’s time to take a look at The Addams and how they have been these days. Morticia, Gomez, Lurch and Pugsley stayed the same, but Wednesday, on the other hand, has changed. Now she’s a teen, but not your typical teen who only cares about boys, make up, popularity and rebelling against her/his parents. She has different hobbies…
We meet Wednesday when she makes a bold Addams-style move; she puts piranhas in the pool and gets expelled from the school. Her parents have no other choice but to send their precious child to Nevermore – a school for outcasts. There, surrounded by werewolves, vampires, sirens and other creatures, she can be her-spooky-gloomy-self. And of course, something is not right in Nevermore and Wednesday must unravel the mystery and maybe realise a thing or two about herself.
What did we get from the highly anticipated Netflix show made by the king of darkness: Tim Burton?
A strong set of characters. Yes, we still have iconic members of the Addams family, like insane Uncle Fester, Morticia, Gomez, Pugsley and can we talk about the Thing? The Thing shines on the screen along with Wednesday – the best helper you can ask for. We also get introduced to new characters: Xavier – a painter with vivid imagination, nice guy Tyler, bee enthusiast Eugene and the colourful Enid. Enid is the opposite of Wednesday; she’s a walking-rainbow who writes gossip, listens to pop music, has crushes on boys and always excited but not good enough (according to her mum) when it comes to her werewolf abilities. Then we have Wednesday, who has an expressionless face at all times, represses her feelings, prefers loneliness, doesn’t care what people think, uses an old-school typewriter (because she doesn’t want to be a slave to technology) and is one of the best in her family. Don’t those two sound like a perfect duo?
Music. It plays a crucial role in showing the depths of characters and in building the right atmosphere. That’s why we have music composed by Danny Elfman, who did a handful of films with Tim Burton. Plus, Wednesday shows another part of herself when she plays the cello.
Visuals. Characters with big crazy eyes, dark tones, interesting pieces of furniture (just look at the fireplace in Principal Weems’ office), clothes that accentuate characters’ personalities and odd things. For instance, Xavier’s paintings reflect emotions and feelings towards what’s happening at the school.
And at the end we have a sprinkle of nostalgia. Christina Ricci (who played the OG Wednesday) made an appearance as a teacher. We still have a famous snap, familiar motives in music, torture and those sharp, quotable phrases.
Wednesday has shown that she can be her own character outside of her famous family. She’s strong, smart, too independent but also warm at times. If you want to spend an evening with a spooky odd girl and unravel a mystery, you’re more than welcome to join Miss Addams in her journey.