Addams Family Values (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Nostalgia abounds when I watch movies from my childhood. The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values are a lot of fun. Macabre and dark but still somehow light and comforting, the films work so well even 30+ years after their release. The 2021 4K release of the first Addams film was wonderful and then collectors waited to see when the second film would receive its inevitable release. Now just in time for Halloween we get it! Read more about the creepy, kooky, ooky family’s second adventure below and as always, the cover art is clickable and takes you to Amazon to get your own copy!
Film: 
Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) welcome a new addition to the Addams household—Pubert, their soft, cuddly, and mustachioed baby boy. As Fester (Christopher Lloyd) falls hard for the new nanny (Joan Cusack), cynically suspicious Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) discover she’s a black-widow murderess. Though they’re shipped off to summer camp, Wednesday still has a Thing or two planned to save Fester and the family.
The gang’s all here and the creepy-fun adventures continue. In one of those rare instances where the sequel improves upon or compliments the original, Addams Family Values is a lot of fun. Not just adding the super cute baby, Pubert (a disgusting name…) we get a new villain in Debbie the nanny. Joan Cusack is fabulous as the serial killing Black Widow. The stacked cast of the Addams family itself is fantastic also. The entire cast seems to have a blast the entire film.
As Uncle Fester falls hard for Debbie, Wednesday and Pugsley as always remain fully self-aware and know that Debbie has alternative plans. The pair is shipped to a creepy, stuffy summer camp – Everyone is so nice, clean, blond and just a little bit racist. As the two kids endure their own personal hells, Fester and Debbie announce their marriage. Taking her camp crush to the wedding, Wednesday observes the two newlyweds and her suspicion grows further. On their honeymoon, Debbie will only sleep with Fester if he disowns the family and separates from them entirely. This is when she decides to plot his murder. This is of course all after her first murder plan fails.
Back at camp, Wednesday and Pugsley have endured a lot. The narcissistic camp counselors Gary and Becky try to break their spirits putting them in a happiness hut with Disney movies and Michael Jackson posters among other horrors. They’re then cast in a play about the first Thanksgiving where the siblings and their new friend Joel (Wednesday’s crush) plot revenge for their mistreatment. This leads to some of the funniest bits in the film.
For me, Wednesday and Pugsley and Fester and Debbie steal the show. Their plot lines are the ones that steam the movie ahead with a brisk pacing. The cast is performing at first rate along with great plot devices based in pure comedy. Marc Shaiman’s excellent music keeps things rolling as well. And let’s not forget that Morticia and Gomez are romantic and sexy, while baby Pubert is too adorable for words every time we see him. We also follow up with Cousin It and his wife Margaret whose own bundle of joy is a hairy sight to see.
I loved the first Addams Family film. It was funny and faithful to the original TV show. The cast was fabulous and Barry Sonnenfeld’s direction was first rate. The follow up was seen as something off or not as good as the first but time has been kind to the film and it not only stands up next to the original film, but in some says surpasses it. It’s faster and funnier and a great way to keep the story going. In my opinion this is a sequel not to be missed.
Video:
Encoding: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Layers: BD-66
HDR: Dolby Vision
Clarity/Detail: Besides a few instances mostly dealing with special effects shots, Addams Family Values almost looks like a new movie. Film grain is reined in and looks complimentary and satisfyingly rendered. Textures are fantastic and the overall look is just as intended. Sharp, clean, and very detailed.
Depth: Depth looks great overall. Save for a few soft moments and a couple of Vaseline like smeary objects from some effects shots, depth of field is excellent.
Black Levels: Filmed with a darker palette overall, the blacks in the film are handled well with no crush in evidence.
Color Reproduction: Blacks, purples, greys and more look beautiful here. Don’t expect a lot of bright colors but colors are rendered perfectly here.
Flesh Tones: Flesh tones are meant to be pale on a lot of the characters and they sure do! Those among the living look great too!
Noise/Artifacts: Clean
Audio:
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Audio Description, French Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French
Dynamics: Ported from the 2019 Blu-ray release of Addams Family Values sounds great. Nothing too bombastic of course, but it shouldn’t be considering the film is a comedy from 1993.
Height: N/A
Low-Frequency Extension: Bass comes during explosions and bursts of action in later scenes. Music gives some bass response too, especially the dated movie theme, this time provided by Tag Team.
Surround Sound Presentation: Surround activity is limited to ambience most of the time, and that’s fine. A few moments dictate more activity (A scene in a restaurant with a dance sequence, the first Thanksgiving play and the wedding) and those are all handled in subtle ways.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue is perfectly intelligible.
Extras:
Extras for Addams Family Values are more than we’ve had but still not much. A feature with images from the making of the film is presented here along with a Writer/Director commentary.
Summary:
Make no mistake about it – Addams Family Values works on all points. The film is funny, fast and charming. Performances are fantastic and campy all around and this is a great film to watch anytime, but especially during Spooky Season. A/V elements here are first rate and the price is nice! Add Addams Family Values to your 4K collection IF YOU DARE!
