Revisiting ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES in 4K

ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (4K UHD)

1993 / 94 min

FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Stinky the Destroyer😺

In one aspect, this new 4K release of Addams Family Values is something of a surprise. When giving catalog titles a 4K UHD upgrade, most studios typically just port over old bonus material from previous releases and call it a day. However, this one’s supplements are all new to home video. Granted, there’s only two of them, but since other versions had none, at least it’s a little additional incentive to upgrade beyond the 4K restoration.

Speaking of which, this new video transfer looks terrific, with great black levels, vibrant colors, naturalistic tones and still retaining the the look of a film. From a technical standpoint, the image quality is the only upgrade. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as the exact same as the previous Blu-ray release. But since that track was perfectly fine to begin with, it’s a minor quip. Rest assured, you’ll still hear that godawful “Whoomp!” song in all its cringey glory.

As for the movie itself, Addams Family Values is, of course, the high-concept 1994 sequel to the high-concept 1991 original, which was based on the classic TV show & Charles Addams comics. And like the first film, this one is elevated beyond mere brand-name appeal by director Barry Sonnenfeld, Paul Rudnick’s dark & witty screenplay and, of course, actors who are perfectly cast. These people ultimately made both films more entertaining and clever than anyone had a right to expect.

For her screen test, Joan re-enacted her favorite scene from When Harry Met Sally.

Revisiting the film 30 years later, I’m of the personal opinion that this one is often just as funny, though not as consistent as the first. The film juggles two concurrent stories, with the first being crazy killer Debbie (Joan Cusack) intending to marry Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) in order to murder him for his money. It's a funny and twisted story, but not as morbidly hilarious as the concurrent plot of Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) being shipped off to summer camp, only to wreak havoc with the campers and counselors. I often found myself wishing this story comprised the entire film. Then again, that would mean we’d see less of Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston, who are once again note-perfect as Gomez and Morticia. 

At the very least, Addams Family Values is one of the few comedy sequels that doesn’t suffer too much from the Law of Diminishing Returns. The 4K disc features a good video upgrade and new bonus features which, while sparse, might please fans of the film.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Though technically a new featurette, Crafting Family Values mostly consists of archival interviews, which is fine since it’s never been available before. Runs about 10 minutes.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Barry Sonnedfeld & screenwriter Paul Rudnick.

DIGITAL COPY