I've rewrote this review because 1) I finally finished the season and 2) Because I came to a better understand.
Now, of course, I could've been even more cruel and title this review "Scooby Doo goes to Hogwarts to meet the X-Men" but I'm trying not to offend anyone (too much). After all, there is a connection of Scooby Doo and the Addams Family as far back as the 70s.
With the promise I made to my 10 year old niece, I forced myself to finish the first season. In the original review I wrote here, I was saying that: "I'm at episode 3 and it is painful. It was a struggle to watch the first episode, but the more it goes on, the worse it gets."
But before I (and others) come to conclusions, I (we) need to understand some things clear: This is a coming-of-age series made for the adolescents of today. It is not for adults specifically, it is not R-Rated and most of all, we must understand that the new generation of teenagers are different from the teenagers we were. The difference in generations must be taken into account. After all, those who are fans of the 90s movies (like myself) will also see the 60s series differently, and the 60s fans (such as our parents) will see the 90s movies differently. I'll come to this subject again later in the review.
Now my thoughts.
While this has all the necessary 'tools' to be great, it just isn't (in my opinion). We have a cast with great actors such as Christina Ricci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Gwendoline Christie and the new star Jenna Ortega who is really really good. We have Tim Burton who directed four episodes. We have music of Danny Elfman on four episodes. We have Romania, who could've been used as it is, instead of turning it into an American land. Even with all of this, it just couldn't deliver (to me).
It has nothing to do with the madness of the Addams Family tradition, it's more like a fantastic world of J. K. Rowling after listening to Bauhaus, while at the same time talking in teenage internet language. Painfully cringe, many times predictable. All the goth stuff you can think of, it's here, but presented in a way that is, like I said, cringe. I'm expecting that in a future episode we'll see Wednesday drinking absinthe in a cemetery and reading Poe's poems, or maybe using some Book of Shadows, Ouja Board and some occult-themed stuff (which wouldn't be new, but lets see how predictable this show will be). The grandiose moment when Wednesday pronounces "mansplaining", you know you got a Netflix production.
While the Addams family of the 90s (both the movies and the animated series which I loved as a kid) had a darker humor that made you laugh, here I didn't even smirk. Maybe I'm just one of the old generation that is lost in the past and can't connect with today's generation, and I'm stuck with the rather more offensive, darker humor of those movies. The humor in here is just too mainstream, too gentle, too cliché. Looking at the high praises given here in the reviews, and then going to the profiles of the people who wrote them, I understand that this is a tv series that is great for the teenagers of today. The generations differ, that is clear in many aspects, and this is one example. That doesn't mean I'm right and they are wrong, of course. The same is for me, who as a 90s Addams Family fan can't really enjoy the first shows from the 60s to the fullest, or even the 1998 adaptations which were truly horrible (even though Nicole Fugere was great and I was in love with her when I was a kid). I didn't even bother to watch the 2019 and 2021 animated movies. So Wednesday 2022 is not the worst.
Even so. You can't even tell it's a Tim Burton movie. I don't know what happened to Burton, but after Sweeney Todd he seems to have lost his brilliance. Yes, Dark Shadows and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children might have a bit of his touch, but not in the way we think of him. When you say Tim Burton you say Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, Corpse Bride and even though not directed by him, the classic Nightmare Before Christmas. Adding an Addams Family would've been a must-have in his profile, but this one just didn't work out.
The school for weirdos is actually more normal than the school I was at. The principle of the school (Gwendoline Christie) is out of character and more of a 'normie' than a 'weirdo'. The other actors are so plain that I can't even remember their names. There were those two teenagers in the bookshop trying to flirt as in a 80s teen movie. I don't remember their names, but that moment was so cringe I felt like screaming and slamming my face in the monitor. I guess I can be Wednesday too. I think that Thing has the best acting. Oh, and Christina Ricci is doing a good job at... whatever she's supposed to do/be in the film (later edit: found out her role in film and it's good, but her character's final discovery was made in a mediocre style). With all the respect I have for Catherine Zeta-Jones, she just doesn't make you feel like she makes a good Morticia, as for Luiz Guzman, again, not a good fit for a fantasy style movie (he will always be El Cid for me: from Oz). However, the worst character and actor here is Fred Armisen/Uncle Fester. When the guy came out I thought that he's like a villain from a Fox Kids/Nickeldeon/Nick Jr. Production who happened to steal Cruella de Vil's motorcycle while having Raiden's electric superpowers. What-is-this?! Compare Fred's Uncle Fester with Christopher Lloyd's Uncle Fester and you'll see the HUGE difference.
There are some good things here and there, and the dance scene is indeed great, Jena's moves and stare are perfect! The scene when she speaks in German to the tourists is also great, and it's something that really brings the real character of Wednesday as known in the Addams Family tradition. The piranha scene is also characteristic to Wednesday we all know and love. The scene when she plays the cello is also amazing, it actually gave me chills (good ones). The sword fight is great as well, her fighting skills in general are great. "Thing" being portrayed very human-like in character/personality (like he's one who likes to take care of his skin) is really cool as well.
Yes, goth girl goes to Hogwarts. This is so much like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo and X-men that is so far from the original idea and charm of the Addams Family. Drop some teenage hormones, since it's a Netflix production, and there you have it. Enjoy the stew!
Now, of course, I could've been even more cruel and title this review "Scooby Doo goes to Hogwarts to meet the X-Men" but I'm trying not to offend anyone (too much). After all, there is a connection of Scooby Doo and the Addams Family as far back as the 70s.
With the promise I made to my 10 year old niece, I forced myself to finish the first season. In the original review I wrote here, I was saying that: "I'm at episode 3 and it is painful. It was a struggle to watch the first episode, but the more it goes on, the worse it gets."
But before I (and others) come to conclusions, I (we) need to understand some things clear: This is a coming-of-age series made for the adolescents of today. It is not for adults specifically, it is not R-Rated and most of all, we must understand that the new generation of teenagers are different from the teenagers we were. The difference in generations must be taken into account. After all, those who are fans of the 90s movies (like myself) will also see the 60s series differently, and the 60s fans (such as our parents) will see the 90s movies differently. I'll come to this subject again later in the review.
Now my thoughts.
While this has all the necessary 'tools' to be great, it just isn't (in my opinion). We have a cast with great actors such as Christina Ricci, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzman, Gwendoline Christie and the new star Jenna Ortega who is really really good. We have Tim Burton who directed four episodes. We have music of Danny Elfman on four episodes. We have Romania, who could've been used as it is, instead of turning it into an American land. Even with all of this, it just couldn't deliver (to me).
It has nothing to do with the madness of the Addams Family tradition, it's more like a fantastic world of J. K. Rowling after listening to Bauhaus, while at the same time talking in teenage internet language. Painfully cringe, many times predictable. All the goth stuff you can think of, it's here, but presented in a way that is, like I said, cringe. I'm expecting that in a future episode we'll see Wednesday drinking absinthe in a cemetery and reading Poe's poems, or maybe using some Book of Shadows, Ouja Board and some occult-themed stuff (which wouldn't be new, but lets see how predictable this show will be). The grandiose moment when Wednesday pronounces "mansplaining", you know you got a Netflix production.
While the Addams family of the 90s (both the movies and the animated series which I loved as a kid) had a darker humor that made you laugh, here I didn't even smirk. Maybe I'm just one of the old generation that is lost in the past and can't connect with today's generation, and I'm stuck with the rather more offensive, darker humor of those movies. The humor in here is just too mainstream, too gentle, too cliché. Looking at the high praises given here in the reviews, and then going to the profiles of the people who wrote them, I understand that this is a tv series that is great for the teenagers of today. The generations differ, that is clear in many aspects, and this is one example. That doesn't mean I'm right and they are wrong, of course. The same is for me, who as a 90s Addams Family fan can't really enjoy the first shows from the 60s to the fullest, or even the 1998 adaptations which were truly horrible (even though Nicole Fugere was great and I was in love with her when I was a kid). I didn't even bother to watch the 2019 and 2021 animated movies. So Wednesday 2022 is not the worst.
Even so. You can't even tell it's a Tim Burton movie. I don't know what happened to Burton, but after Sweeney Todd he seems to have lost his brilliance. Yes, Dark Shadows and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children might have a bit of his touch, but not in the way we think of him. When you say Tim Burton you say Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, Corpse Bride and even though not directed by him, the classic Nightmare Before Christmas. Adding an Addams Family would've been a must-have in his profile, but this one just didn't work out.
The school for weirdos is actually more normal than the school I was at. The principle of the school (Gwendoline Christie) is out of character and more of a 'normie' than a 'weirdo'. The other actors are so plain that I can't even remember their names. There were those two teenagers in the bookshop trying to flirt as in a 80s teen movie. I don't remember their names, but that moment was so cringe I felt like screaming and slamming my face in the monitor. I guess I can be Wednesday too. I think that Thing has the best acting. Oh, and Christina Ricci is doing a good job at... whatever she's supposed to do/be in the film (later edit: found out her role in film and it's good, but her character's final discovery was made in a mediocre style). With all the respect I have for Catherine Zeta-Jones, she just doesn't make you feel like she makes a good Morticia, as for Luiz Guzman, again, not a good fit for a fantasy style movie (he will always be El Cid for me: from Oz). However, the worst character and actor here is Fred Armisen/Uncle Fester. When the guy came out I thought that he's like a villain from a Fox Kids/Nickeldeon/Nick Jr. Production who happened to steal Cruella de Vil's motorcycle while having Raiden's electric superpowers. What-is-this?! Compare Fred's Uncle Fester with Christopher Lloyd's Uncle Fester and you'll see the HUGE difference.
There are some good things here and there, and the dance scene is indeed great, Jena's moves and stare are perfect! The scene when she speaks in German to the tourists is also great, and it's something that really brings the real character of Wednesday as known in the Addams Family tradition. The piranha scene is also characteristic to Wednesday we all know and love. The scene when she plays the cello is also amazing, it actually gave me chills (good ones). The sword fight is great as well, her fighting skills in general are great. "Thing" being portrayed very human-like in character/personality (like he's one who likes to take care of his skin) is really cool as well.
Yes, goth girl goes to Hogwarts. This is so much like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Harry Potter, Scooby Doo and X-men that is so far from the original idea and charm of the Addams Family. Drop some teenage hormones, since it's a Netflix production, and there you have it. Enjoy the stew!