The Addams Family 2

The story has all the ingredients (road trip!) but never got off the ground, and no great message like the original had either. That film was actually great and funny, but this one? Give it a miss.

Family night out. I asked my kids how was the movie. They didn't like it.... The storyline wasn't that interesting. They didn't laugh at any of the humor. Nowadays, so many animation movies, they have to have a good script to get kids attention.

A sequel whose surprising/exciting moments are few and far between. Vernon & Tiernan threw a lot of things to keep the plot going which was not a good sign. This time it's all about Wednesday to deliver good message about family bonding and acceptance.

The 2019 animated Addams Family movie was average. The Addams Family 2 was less than that. I don't know exactly what happened in the writers' room as they were creating this half-baked sequel, but it seems as if the humor well ran dry pretty early. The story runs out of steam early on and they just start repeating jokes (usually the bodily function type) to try and liven things up. It doesn't work. The plot is quite thin, too, and yet they try very hard to stretch it out to the required runtime. The animation was interesting, I guess, but watching this sequel just left me feeling underwhelmed.

Movies targeted towards children are often basic, cheap, and pointless. The Addams Family 2 is a prime example. While this production markets familiar characters with interesting traits, they are woefully underutilized. Many problems plague this film but the most glaring issue is the lack of a clear goal. Yes, there is an overarching plot that contemplates the meaning of family, but that is forced and formulaic. Meanwhile, several scenes are detours that contribute nothing to that larger narrative. Consequently, the story is a stale patchwork that reduces our beloved characters to bystanders in their own movie.

Beyond that, The Addams Family 2 offers very little from a filmmaking perspective. The cinematography is occasionally interesting but hardly redeeming. The editing is underdone (likely due to scant material). The soundtrack is just wrong because it prioritizes contemporary pop over setting a specific tone. The production design is surprisingly bland for a film about such stylish characters. Lastly, the CGI looks cheap, lacking the detail of current animated movies. This all gives The Addams Family 2 a hollow and generic feel that undercuts whatever slight impact it could've had. Undoubtedly, this is a film worth skipping.

Writing: 2/10 Direction: 1/10 Cinematography: 6/10 Acting: 4/10 Editing: 3/10 Sound: 5/10 Score/Soundtrack: 3/10 Production Design: 4/10 Casting: 6/10 Effects: 3/10

Overall Score: 3.7/10.