Absolutely taking a few cues from Heath Ledger's Joker, Harrelson is leaning just enough into campy territory to be charismatic, but never letting us forget the absolutely shattered malicious mind controlling the spaghetti wrap of CGI. Serkis' directing itself deserves some praise too. I can't necessarily pinpoint his style, but like his approach on 'Mowgli,' he has a great eye for detail in both character aesthetics and worldbuilding. That goes from the symbiotes' movements and action bits to bigger things like lighting in a church sequence or just making San Francisco feel more alive in the process.
As far as downsides go, what you see is basically what you get. While I was certainly on that train more here, I also couldn't help but hope for more on the emotional side of things. Yes, seeing the two be vulnerable with one another is important to their arcs and the comedy infusions work more often than not, but it also presents a double-edged sword of that quick runtime, sacrificing time for smaller moments for bigger, more outrageous ones.
In addition, while Hardy and Harrelson are electric together, I also found a lot of the supporting characters disappointing to a degree.
Mulligan has a few neat moments, but not enough to go beyond the tough cop archetype. The only one who almost makes it work is Naomi Harris, who actually has great chemistry with Harrelson until the movie has to do something else with her. It's those other characters that make the non-Venom, non-Carnage moments stall significantly and I wish there was more to them.
I wouldn't go so far as to have complete faith in this approach to Sony's characters moving forward — Venom or whatever larger plans are in the works — but I could safely recommend this whatever side of the film spectrum you land on.
This kind of fun genre content is sorely needed and I'm happy I had as good of a time as I did. The sequel to the reboot is an enjoyable, but unremarkable start to the Halloween movie season. There's a reason why the Addams Family have become icons of the American cartoon pantheon although having one of the catchiest theme songs in television history doesn't hinder them. The family of creepy but loveable archetypes have been featured across generations, between the aforementioned show, the duo of Barry Levinson films in the '90s and, most recently, MGM's animated reboot in That project got a mostly mixed reception and, while I'd count me as part of that group, I thought there was more merit to it than I expected.
The characters and animation designs felt kind of unique, and when it surpassed whatever mundane story the writers had in mind to be more macabre, it could be kind of fun.
This is to say my reaction wasn't entirely negative when the sequel was announced, as well as just forgetting about it until I got the screening invitation. With that semblance of optimism in mind, does 'The Addams Family 2' improve on the first film's strengths? Unfortunately, not really. There's fun to be had and the film clearly has reverence for its roots, but between the inconsistent humor and lackluster story beats, what we're left with feels just a bit too unexceptional to recommend.
Some time after the events of the first film, Wednesday Addams voiced by Chloe Grace Moretz has made an incredible discovery: a way to transfer personality traits from one living being to another. While she looks to grand ambitions for her education, her parents, Gomez and Morticia voiced by Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron respectively believe they are losing her and her brother, Pugsley voiced by Javon Walton , as they get older.
The solution: a family road trip cross country alongside their Uncle Fester voiced by Nick Kroll and butler Lurch voiced by Conrad Vernon visiting all the great destinations of the United States. Along the way, a subplot begins to unfold with Rupert voiced by Wallace Shawn , a custody lawyer seemingly convinced that Wednesday is not Gomez and Morticia's biological daughter, and the enigmatic scientist, Cyrus Strange voiced by Bill Hader , who takes an interest in Wednesday's potentially terrifying work.
With the exception of Javon Walton replacing Finn Wolfhard, the voice cast returns for the sequel and they're mostly capable here. Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron embody a lot of Gomez and Morticia's obsessively sincere dynamic it legitimately makes me think they'd be good in live-action and Nick Kroll delivers a bounty of one-liners that are sure to get a laugh here and there.
But the real focus is on Wednesday, who very quickly becomes the center of the film's narrative and it's where I become the most conflicted. The choice to tease Wednesday's "true" connections to the other Addams is admittedly intriguing, especially for how eclectic their backstories are and the film's choice to frame those questions around Wednesday and Morticia's estranged bond.
It's not a lot, but there is some subtext about how children can potentially view the adoption process and how parents choose to frame their relationships with their children. The animation isn't particularly great, but like the first film, I admire how the character designs all feel uniquely bizarre, again ripped right out of Charles Addams original comic strips and getting moments to be themselves.
In addition, while the humor is completely inconsistent, I counted at least half a dozen jokes I cracked up at, most of them leaning into the morbid side of the Addams' personalities and one weirdly placed joke at a gas station don't ask, I can't explain it.
Getting back to that original Wednesday narrative though, I found myself getting increasingly bored by it as the movie went on. For as cliched as the movie's story was, it at least felt like an Addams Family movie, with stakes that consistently affected the entire family. But between Wednesday's forays into Captain Kirk-esque monologues, Fester's subplot with the fallout from Wednesday's experiment, and occasionally shifting back to the house under the protection of Grandmama voiced by Bette Midler , the movie feels incredibly disjointed.
When the film does finally line up its story after over an hour of setup, it feels too little too late, all in the service of a big obligatory action sequence that is supposed to act as the emotional climax and falls completely flat.
It's not that a minute movie can't support these characters, but rather that it chooses to take them away from situational, self-aware comedy moments to make it feel more important. We love the Addams because they're weird, they don't quite fit in, but they're so sincere and loving that you can't help but get attached to them and the film loses interest in that appeal relatively quickly. There's a joke where Thing is trying to stay awake and has a cup of coffee in the camper.
It's the most disturbing part of the movie, I haven't stopped thinking about it, and now that image is in your head too, you're welcome. Like its predecessor, I'm probably being way too kind to it considering how utterly unimpressive it can feel, grinding to a halt to make its stakes more theatrical on several occasions.
That being said, I can't deny the characters are fun when they get the chance to be, there are some decent jokes, and for a potential Halloween watch, it's a family movie on several levels. Its always nice to see the Addams pop up on the big screen in whatever capacity they might, but my enjoyment of this movie comes with an abundance of unnecessary caveats.
Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society 2. Kristen Haddox , Penn State University 4. Welcome back. Sign in to comment to your favorite stories, participate in your community and interact with your friends. No account? Create one. Start writing a post. Miami University. Giphy For anyone who didn't grow up with "Victorious," it is a show about a talented singer named Tori Vega Victoria Justice who gets accepted into the very chaotic and quirky performing arts school called Hollywood Arts.
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator. Subscribe to our Newsletter. The Narrative. Keep Reading Show less. Ice cream and a burrito. Cream of mushroom soup! Yeah, I'm a guy. Hey, stop making fun of me!
Color, you say? Get at me, I'm secure. Dark gray. Hip hop. My mom. Those North-Ridge girls. You're going to stay single all your life. Hide me! People who don't appreciate music. People saying that I'm a puppet. I'm not a puppet! Students who, ah, think I'm some kind of hobo from outer space. However, the Full-Moon Jam was on Friday, and they were shown going to school after the date. It is highly unlikely that that many students went to Saturday school. The date would have had to occur on a Wednesday, as it took two days to rehearse Beggin' on Your Knees.
Luke for Kasz Money Productions, Inc. Written by Dr. Luke and Michael Corcoran as Backhouse Mike. User reviews Be the first to review. Details Edit. Release date April 2, United States. Technical specs Edit. My brain. A bit of both. Featured Quizzes. Which U. Are You Really Best Friends? Which Doraemon Character Are You?
Most Recent Quizzes. Back to top.
0コメント