Happy Wednesday, everyone, or to everyone east of Belarus. I guess this is a good time to talk about Wednesday, the new Netflix Addams Family spin-off. I finally got around to watching just the first episode and mostly enjoyed it.
It's funny that it's directed by Tim Burton, whom many people mistakenly believed directed the two films from the early '90s. It seems to be his first successful project in years, too. Danny Elfman's new music is great, referencing the style of the classic Addams Family theme while being something new and his own.
Most of the casting is great. Jenna Ortega, in particular, is great, finding shades of expression in a character famous for only occasionally smiling.
I seem to recall a lot of people getting called racist or something for saying Luis Guzman is miscast. Well, whatever it is, you'll have to call me that, too, because he's no Gomez Addams in my book. I'm not wild about Catherine Zeta-Jones, either. Neither of them have a sense of depth to their wit, neither seems morbid. And they have no chemistry.
But so far they're not around a lot. I like the look of the Nevermore Academy which Wednesday is forced to attend and her colourful werewolf roommate is thankfully a little more than just a one note foil.
The show was clearly designed for girls and Wednesday, the point of view character, is given some suitable suitor selection, so far mainly between a mild mannered coffee shop employee and a tortured poet. I like that the show doesn't make everything easy for Wednesday, too, and the thing that ultimately keeps her from trying to escape Nevermore seems to be the challenges it presents to her.
There are a few hints of ironclad woke requirements that Netflix seems to impose on shows occasionally but so far nothing as silly as Rose beating up thugs in an alley on Sandman or any of the bullshit on the live action Cowboy Bebop. At least Wednesday is established as someone who trained in deadly arts.
Wednesday is available on Netflix.
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