Mercredi

For the life of me I cannot figure out the absolute terrible takes that the rotten tomatoes website has on actually good TV shows and movies. They literally called this a CW show with Wednesday Addams. I was shocked because I'll be honest this is probably the best experience I've had watching a show on Netflix since the first season of stranger things. Not only is it one of the best shows I've seen this year but it's probably one of the best things that Tim Burton has done in a very long time. Jenna Ortega is the best part of the show but all the other characters are extremely likable as well and nobody is perfect. Which is also the thing that I like the most is that everybody in the show is flawed. It's not super over the top cartoony dark like some of the movies are but it takes a little bit more of a realistic approach with the Addams family personalities and relationships. The Burton monster elements are still there though and they are awesome to watch. If you look at it more through the angle of Wednesday trying to find empathy and a reason to care about the people around her you get a lot more out of it. So for me personally I really don't understand why snobby critics just accuse us of being a cheesy teen drama with a consensus that you would see on CW... because it has a lot more to say than those types of shows and it's also very smart in the approach that they have with the Addams family and their relationship with each other and the people in the town that this takes place in. Please give this a watch this is a good show!

Loved the show. Didn't care much for Uncle Fester as he seemed like an unnecessary distraction. There were a few moments where her attitude felt tedious but overall, a perfect rendition of the wit, ability and fearlessness of the Wednesday Addams character. Jenna Ortega did a masterful job as the stoic young woman where slight nuances of facial expression were subtle but expressive moments of character development. I enjoyed all the performances and the story line was engaging enough. I remember watching the original Addams Family TV show and this in depth story on Wednesday was a worthy rendition of those characters and a lot of fun to watch.

So I thought this was going to be God awful like most Netflix adaptations, but I found myself laughing and appreciating the camerawork, the clothes, the colors, the acting etc. The way everything is colorful and vibrant while Wednesday is just colorless and unemotional makes Wednesday stick out so much from being so out of place. You almost can feel how much she dislikes almost everything. She's smart, witty, and honestly kind of scary. Catherine Zeta Jones made me a believer in her from her performance. From start to finish this was a easy and fun watch. It almost flew by too fast and now I want more.

I can't imagine a more perfect casting for Wednesday. The plot is a little hard to follow and people expecting this to be an Addams Family reboot will not be happy, but the show stands on its own. It's enjoyable and unique and definitely worth the watch if only for Ortega's performance. The cinematography is beautiful as well, everything is catered around Wednesday, so she stands out in every scene, even in a school full of "outcasts". I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition between Wednesday and her bubbly roommate. People who enjoyed Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Series of Unfortunate Events will love this show.

Don't get me wrong, Jenna Ortega's performance was absolutely fantastic. She captures Wednesday's essence perfectly. Pretty much everything else about the show falls flat for me. The plot really doesn't work for me. It reminds me of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Riverdale. It doesn't feel creative or inventive at all and just doesn't work for me. The whole "school for outsiders" thing plus murder mystery just wasn't a hit in my opinion. I also wasn't impressed with the casting of Morticia and Gomez and their relationship with Wednesday. Overall, it feels very YA so maybe it's just meant for a younger crowd.