Blu-ray News and Reviews | High Def Digest
Film & TV All News Blu-Ray Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders 4K Ultra HD Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders Gear Reviews News Home Theater 101 Best Gear Film & TV
Blu-Ray : Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $12.13 Last Price: $16.98 Buy now! 3rd Party 4.94 In Stock
Release Date: January 18th, 2022 Movie Release Year: 2021

The Addams Family 2

Overview -

The Addams Family 2 has the Halloween-friendly family out on the highway across the country on a vacation. Meanwhile, Wednesday Addams in her teen angst much figures out what her family means to her along the way. It's a sweet story with that famous Addams Family charm. The 1080p HD transfer looks excellent and the DTS-HD 7.1 audio track sounds wonderful. The extras are short, but fun. Recommended!

 

Everyone’s favorite spooky family is back in the animated comedy sequel, The Addams Family 2. In this all new movie we find Morticia and Gomez distraught that their children are growing up, skipping family dinners, and totally consumed with “scream time.” To reclaim their bond they decide to cram Wednesday, Pugsley, Uncle Fester and the crew into their haunted camper and hit the road for one last miserable family vacation. Their adventure across America takes them out of their element and into hilarious run-ins with their iconic cousin, It, as well as many new kooky characters. What could possibly go wrong?

Special Features Specs:

  • We're Altogether Addams: Meet the people behind the voices - Featurette
  • Courage to be Kooky: See why it's okay to be different (even kooky) with a little help from the cast of THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2 - Featurette
  • THE ADDAMS FAMILY Road Trip Checklist: In this "How To" vignette, we'll show you everything you need for a successful road trip with the family. From essentials to games, we've got you covered.
  • Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French-Canadian and Latin American Spanish
  • Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0, French Canadian DTS Digital Surround 5.1, Latin American Spanish DTS-HD High Resolution Audio 7.1

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p AVC/MPEG-4
Length:
93
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.85:1
Audio Formats:
English: DTS-HD MA 7.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, French, Spanish
Release Date:
January 18th, 2022

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

The Addams Family has been America's most eccentric family since the 1930s when they were first published in The New Yorker. Then came a beloved television series in the '60s, which led to the big-budget film adaptation in the '90s which spawned a sequel. Over the decades, this gothic, Halloween-loving group have earned their place in the hearts of their fans. A couple of years ago, Hollywood rebooted the franchise with an all-CGI film that produced a ton of box office receipts in the nine-figure arena. Of course, now there is a sequel titled The Addams Family 2 that sets this darkly comedic family on a road trip across America with Wednesday Addams as its central character. For those that want to see The Addams' in sunny Florida and Snoop Dogg as Cousin It, this sequel serves up some funny bits and an endearing message, despite its rote and forgettable premise.

In most sequels, no matter if they are big action blockbusters or small budget comedies, the idea is to go big or go home. Usually, sequels invite a much bigger premise with more characters and that's true for The Addams Family 2. However, it keeps things tight within the immediate family out on the road. Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) realize their children Pugsly and Wednesday (Chloe Grace Moretz) are becoming young adults and are growing apart. This part of life has Gomez planning a vacation for his family, along with Lurch and Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) out on the road, despite Wednesday not wanting any part of it - like any brooding teenager.

This being The Addams Family, one could imagine the kooky hijinks and misadventures this loving family gets into across the country. It's the smaller, more intimate sub-plot that makes this sequel really tick though. Throughout the road trip and laughs, Wednesday is the subject of a lawyer that presents a case to the Addams' that Wednesday is in fact NOT their biological child. Through. a web of emotions, the family must come together to save the day, while having fun in the most Addams' way possible. It's a great setup, but how many road trip comedies are out there? The answer is a ton, and The Addams Family 2 doesn't do anything original, other than their unique stamp of chaotic journeys to tourist places while being an Addams.

The CGI animation isn't on par with a Pixar film, but its original looking and haunting look allows the visuals to stand out above the rest and looks beautifully odd, like an Addams' film should. The voice cast is stellar always leaning into their wacky character traits and voices. The simple fact of having The Addams Family in a place like Miami, Niagra Falls, and even San Antonio, Texas is a true delight. Plus Snoop Dogg as Cousin It is a revelation and should be in every Addams' production from here on out. And the emotional turn from Wednesday as she figures out what family means to her is wonderful. It's just a shame that there's nothing really new or original here other than taking this fantastic and fun family and putting them in a road trip comedy. That being said there's enough here for some good laughs with an obvious opening for another sequel.

 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
The Addams Family 2 scares its way on Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Video. This combo pack comes with the Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Code. The discs are housed inside a hard, blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork features the Addams Family looking straightforward. There is an insert for the digital code.

Video Review

Ranking:

The Addams Family 2 comes with an impressive 1080p HD transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 that looks amazing. The animation is fluid smooth with tons of textures for detail and wide spectrums of color from start to finish.

The colors are simply perfection and boast some rich, deep primary colors when out on the road. Inside the Addams' house, motifs of dank purples, golds, reds, and haunting greens and blacks take up most of the image. When on the open highway, fantastic greens in the trees, crystal blue skies, and golden landscapes look excellent. The outfits on the Addams Family always excel in the gray and black palettes. Darker scenes have rich black levels as well.

The detail in the animation both in the background and in close-ups of the characters reveal great textures such as the rubbery octopus tentacles on Uncle Fester or the decaying walls inside the Addams' household. The waterfall at Niagra Falls looks wonderfully detailed as well. This is an exquisite-looking image with no instances of banding, aliasing, or video noise.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with a good lossless DTS-HD MA 7.1 audio mix that delivers some great-sounding effects. This is not a fully aware surround design where atmospherics are constantly in motion inside the speakers, but when the action kicks in, so does the audio track. Sound effects are robust with that zany animated sound to it that is always a notch higher than live-action noises. The mix really gets going at Niagra Falls and when planes are flying through the Grand Canyon.

These sequences give way to the low end of the sound design with some wonderful bass that has a fantastic rumble. Other ambient noises inside the Addams' home make their way through the rear speakers, such as creaks, yells, screams, and other haunting sounds. The score always enhances the mood and tone of the film with some pop songs and more. The dialogue is always clean, clear and free of any audio issues.

Special Features

Ranking:

There are only 16 minutes of extras on this release, the coolest of which is getting to watch the cast deliver their lines in character. Other than that, silliness is the name of the game.

  • We're Altogether Addams (HD, 9 Mins.) - The voice actors and crew discuss their take on the beloved characters with some footage of them rehearsing lines.
  • Courage To Be Kooky (HD, 3 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about how The Addams Family embraces their unique brand of family tradition.
  • The Addams Family Road Trip Checklist (HD, 4 Mins.) - Learn how to pack like a member of the Addams Family.

Final Thoughts

The Addams Family 2 goes bigger than its predecessor by taking the kooky family out on a road trip across America. With a good subplot involving Wednesday's relationship with her family, this sequel does a lot right. However, the zany action on the road has been done in other films many times before, but never the Addams' way. The video looks outstanding and the 7.1 DTS mix sounds great. The extras are short, brief, and don't offer too much in the way of information, but they are a fun watch. Recommended.