“Addams Family Values” brings the brightness of Camp Chippewa’s veneers and the sharpness of Debbie’s blades to 4K. – Elements of Madness

As if he were inhuman, the creation of cartoonist Charles Adams, The Addams Familyit gains popularity, fades, then rises again. It’s never far from fans’ memories, but the general population occasionally needs a reminder that being macabre doesn’t mean you’re brazen or desecrated. One can be creepy, red-breasted, mysterious and terrifying and still give a damn about their fellow man. In the 1993 live-action sequel Addams Family Valueswith returning director Barry Sonnenfeld (Addams Family; Men in Black) and author Paul Rudnick (Sister Act), this becomes a central component of the overall narrative as Fester (Christopher Lloyd) once again becomes a central figure in the narrative as he meets the love of his life, which leads to his forced separation from his family. There’s also a subplot involving family discord in the central unit with the arrival of Pubert (played by sisters Kaitlyn and Kristen Hooper) that fits into the main story of love and acceptance. While neither Morticia nor Gomez (Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, respectively) would ever declare a love child, the audience has more freedom and often mentions Values as the most beloved. If this speaks to you, enjoy the brand new 4K UHD first edition Addams Family Valuesremastered from the original camera negative and includes both an all-new feature-length commentary track from Sonnenfeld and Rudnick and a new 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette.

When audiences last saw the Addams Family, Morticia had announced her pregnancy to Gomez and, now, she’s about to give birth. With the arrival of Pubert, Morticia and Gomez have no time for their usual amorous activities, as each of Wednesday and Pugsley’s (Christina Ricci and Jimmy Workman, respectively) attempts to play with their new sibling leads to quite a disaster. Enter Debbie Jelinski (Joan Cusack), an “agency-sent” nanny who seems to approach each of the Addams with a sense of acceptance and flair, who also happens to catch the eye of lonely Fester. However, Debbie didn’t just randomly show up on their doorstep, she’s a black widow and has her sights set on Fester’s wealth.

While the 4K UHD version of The Addams Family was marketed as for 30^u anniversary, Values you missed it by a year, so you’re not going to see it at any point. That said, we’ll start with what’s new before offering some thoughts on the film as an adult/parent viewer rather than a child/childless adult.

Christopher Lloyd as Fester in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo does not represent restoration.

As mentioned, the restoration was apparently done using the original camera negative, which means the restoration has the best possible chance of being a high-quality restoration. Film negatives contain a lot of information and up-conversation works much better, resulting in a more premium presentation on disc than digitally shot films that go through the same up-conversation process. Unfortunately, there’s no information on how the restoration was performed or who reviewed/approved it, but since Sonnenfeld provides a new piece of commentary, it’s safe to assume he looked it over before putting it out on disc. Technically, the presentation on the disc is solid, with the bitrate mostly hovering around 70-80 Mbps at all times, though dipping into the 50s at times. With 40Mbps being an average 1080p high-definition bitrate and 128 being the maximum bitrate for a 4K UHD disc, the fact that the film remains in the 70s is a good sign for a strong presentation. But all the technical information means nothing if the movie doesn’t actually look good. For the most part, the increased detail and color gamut is an absolute delight. You can see details like the blemishes on Debbie’s exposed skin, get a sense of the fabric on the character’s clothes and the double date sequence in the bistro is very beautiful with browns, golds, reds and blacks setting the stage a robust opulence. The film really looks great during the Camp Chippewa outdoor sequences, where the natural colors look fresh and bright, creating an even greater contrast against Wednesday’s darkness and Pugsley’s presentation. One downside, of course, is that the makeup was designed for ’93 detail, not 2024 4K UHD, so there are some moments where the makeup is much more noticeable (like the powder on Huston’s face or Carol Kane’s Grand Mama Addams) that it breaks the mystery of the film a bit.

L-R: Jimmy Workman as Pugsley Addams, Christina Ricci as Wednesday and David Krumholtz as Joel Glicker in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo does not represent restoration.

Also making the presentation as strong as it is is the inclusion of only two featurettes on the disc: a feature-length commentary and a 10-minute featurette. By not stacking it with plenty of material, the film is given as much room as possible to fit in the tray, reducing any potential compression. (If you think Dune: Part Two looks good now, imagine what it might have been like without all these features on the 4K UHD disc.) The audio track will take up minimal space between the two, even at 90+ minutes, so it’s the other feature, “Making Family Values”, which runs the risk of damaging the presentation of the film. In this case, it’s not long enough to do serious damage, but enough time to provide some fun insights into the making of the film, as the audience gets an inside look at the making of the film through a montage of interviews with the cast and crew, set shots and final film sequences. You’re not going to learn anything particularly explosive, but it’s fun to hear the actors (out of costume) talk about these characters in terms of their arcs and potential.

Side note: For those who enjoy its classic look Values The cover art is visible on the cover, note that the actual liner ditches the black/gray look for the purple-colored version that was incorporated in previous releases, including the two-film Blu-ray release available in 2019.

Christopher Lloyd as Fester in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo does not represent restoration.

To be honest for a moment, of the two films, Values it was never a movie I wanted to see again. I have the strongest memory of seeing the first one in theaters, so I guess I did Valuesbut my response to this was so low that I couldn’t tell you when / how / where. Surprisingly, watching the film as an adult, especially one with two kids, offers a resonance that wasn’t there before. The Debbie/Fester story felt like a twist on the previous amnesia-Fester story, and I didn’t understand why Morticia and Gomez were sending the two elders on Debbie’s word, but I really liked the Chippewa sequences. Now, however, I can relate to the feeling that every time I try to get close to my wife – to talk, to hug, to kiss, to simply share a meal – one of our children finds it the ultimate insult and has to is interrupted either directly or indirectly. Would I send my kids away with the opinion of someone I’d just met who charmed the pants (figuratively) off us? Probably if it meant a chance to engage my wife without having to worry about screaming, random attack, or some other poorly timed (to me) entrance of a child. Also, as an adult, one begins to notice all the jokes that passed me by, like the direct implication that the poor guy (Christopher Hart) was a sexual partner for Fester during this lonely time, or that Fester was a peeping legend . to his brother and sister-in-law. There are many for Values which I don’t think can be appreciated *as much* in adolescence, whereas the shifted perspective not only makes the film feel more like it, but increases the appreciation. It was one thing to appreciate that the Addams family welcomed Debbie and all her murderous tendencies with open arms (but with pastels?), but quite another to realize that the story is much more intense and specific in execution that one could to realize.

Joan Cusack as Debbie Jellinsky in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Photo does not represent restoration.

With Halloween just around the corner and Thanksgiving right after, we welcome a 4K UHD version Addams Family Values it makes a lot of sense to those in the know. Chances are, if you’re already a fan of the film, picking it up is a foregone conclusion. Although not every movie in the collection needs to be upgraded since 2019 Values The Blu-ray doesn’t include any bonus features at all, the new addition of the featurette and commentary track may be just the thing in the long run overall Adams and specifically Values the fans were waiting. That the film looks as good as it does with a new appreciation for storytelling seems like an easy recommendation. It just depends if it’s a one-day pickup or a sale.

Addams Family Values Special features:

• *NEW* Commentary by director Barry Sonnenfeld and screenwriter Paul Rudnick — The writer and director of Addams Family Values reunite to watch their favorite comedy and provide new insight into the film’s production and ongoing legacy.
• *NEW* Creation Family Values — Paramount Archives unearths a collection of insightful images and behind-the-scenes interviews taken during its production Addams Family Values — including director Barry Sonnenfeld, screenwriter Paul Rudnick and starring Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Joan Cusack. (10:29)

Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray and digital on October 29th^u2024.

For more information, head over to the official Paramount Pictures website Addams Family Values web page.