Wednesday Review

It’s hard to believe Tim Burton has never helmed an Addams Family project before. The quirky gothic stylings of the franchise are right up his alley, so it was only a matter of time until we were treated to his version of the family. While Wednesday may not be exactly what fans envisioned for Burton’s take on these characters, it’s a fun and mildly twisted series elevated by the always-excellent, Jenna Ortega.

Although this show is geared toward a young adult audience, older viewers will appreciate the clever nods and references to the family’s film and television history. Whether it’s the signature double snap or having Ricci return in a different role, there’s more than enough to please longtime fans. Burton’s signature style gives the series an appropriately dreary look, even though it doesn’t always meld with the teen-focused storytelling.

The production design is also quite impressive. Everything from the gothic architecture of the Nevermore campus to the creature design looks great. Thing Addams in particular represents some of the most seamless VFX work I’ve ever seen, and I’m dying to know how it was accomplished. Danny Elfman’s title theme and Chris Bacon’s score make great finishing touches.

Let’s get something straight - this show works because of Ortega, and without her, I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend watching it. Her expressionless expressions and matter-of-fact line delivery are pitch-perfect, and she fills Ricci’s shoes with ease. We don’t get much time with the other Addams’, but it’s not an issue because Ortega owns this role. Watching her play emotionlessly off much livelier characters makes for an amusing contrast.

The season-long mystery is intriguing enough to make for an easy binge, but doesn’t offer much we haven’t seen before. There’s a lot of angsty teen drama throughout that falls flat, but by placing the morbidly curious Wednesday Addams at the center of everything, it gets a pass.

Wednesday caters to teen audiences a bit much to draw in older audiences, but there’s still a lot to enjoy from this modern take on the iconic character. It’s streaming now on Netflix, so snap to it and get watching.

Review by: Benjamin Garrett

3.5/5

#film #review #netflix #addamsfamily

Boss Level Film Review

Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation. Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Godzilla vs. Kong Film Review

Godzilla versus Kong is the action movie we have been longing for since all major blockbuster films pushed back their release dates. After three solo films between Kong and Godzilla, we finally see the two titans clash on film for the first time in what is the culmination of the Universal Monsterverse. The story is split nicely in two as team Kong and team Godzilla each have their own mission. Team Kong is on a secret mission to the center of the earth to uncover the mystery of the titans. This team consists of Dr. Nathan, Dr. Ilene, Maia, and the Youngest character in the film, Jia. Team Godzilla consists of Madison, Josh, and Bernie who are also on a secret mission, to infiltrate Apex Cybernetics with the theory that they are up to no good and are the reason why Godzilla has been acting up recently. The dynamics of the teams are well balanced as the Kong story provides us with serious and more action-heavy bits in contrast to the Apex team story that ...

Inside Out 2 | Review by: Stefano Bove

Nine years ago, Pixar introduced us to Riley, a young girl who is trying to grow with change happening with herself and her family. Her emotions; joy, anger, sadness, fear and disgust help her through these difficult times. Now two years, Riley is 13 and is going through new life changes physically and emotionally as she tries to grip with the reality that the rest of her life relies on how the next weekend goes. All of these changes spark new emotions to grow inside of her. It is a tough time for Riley that she must overcome. It is a snapshot in time that is probably a big emotional trigger for audiences as well as we go on this journey with Riley. Taking the incredibly intricate memory world that was established in the first film, the sequel makes a few minor additions that allow it to feel familiar but still fresh enough to keep us engaged. Many of these new additions are some of the funniest moments in the entire series. With more emotions and human charact...

1st Reviews

Search This Blog