Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WVU chapter.

The newest Addams Family Movie was released on October 11, 2019, just in time for spooky season. The animated film features several big celebrities, including Snoop Dogg, Finn Wolfhard and Chloe Grace Moretz. It packs a powerful message to children and adults. 

The movie centers around Wednesday Addams and Parker Needler, two junior highschoolers. The two girls form an unlikely friendship and decide to change the way they dress to shock their mothers. Parker’s mother, Margaux, is building a town called, “Assimilation,” which is located in the valley, below the Addams house and is where the school is. The members of the town become furious when they learn Margaux has been spying on them in their houses, which she designed, so she could show how weird the townspeople are. However, the Addams family teaches the town that being weird is actually really cool. 

From the Addams family movie, you learn to be original and accept your weirdness. Be proud of who you are, even if it is not traditional. One example from the movie was a lady who liked to sit backwards on the toilet, so she could eat her food. The movie uses goofy examples, but the underlying message is to always be true to yourself. If you’re doing something that you like and it doesn’t put others down, keep doing it. 

Despite the positive message, the movie has very mixed reviews. On most movie review platforms, it has between a forty to fifty percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and Common Sense Media. Most complaints included the art style of the animation, predictable plot, not scary enough for teens and adults or too spooky for kids.

“It’s nice to have the Addams back in our lives, but it would have been nice if they could have been a little more ‘ookie,’” Matthew DeKinder from Suburban Journals of St. Louis writes for Rotten Tomatoes.

“Even though The Addams Family suffers with its villain and gets bogged down with pointless scenes, it makes up for it with great humor, funny characters, and a great moral,” Caillou Pettis from Battle Royale with Cheese writes for Rotten Tomatoes.

Even on the same movie review website, the reviews are conflicting. This is not the best remake of the Addams Family movies, but it is entertaining. It could’ve been better with a less predictable plot or more from Snoop Dogg. However, the message intended for children is awesome. The new movie pays tribute to old films by keeping the characters’ personalities the same. Any Addams Family movie is the right movie to see in preparation for Halloween.

A sequel to the movie is already in the works. According to an article by Anthony D’Alessandro for Deadline, the sequel is set to come out October 22, 2021. The Addams Family is playing at both AMC Theater and Regal Cinemas in Morgantown. For showtimes click here or here. To watch the trailer click here. 

—

Edited by Katie Carnefix

Savanna is a senior majoring in Journalism at West Virginia University. Aside from writing, she enjoys designing clothes, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
Rachel is a graduate student at WVU majoring in journalism with minors in Appalachian studies, history and political science. In addition to writing for Her Campus, she is also a publicity intern for Arts and Entertainment and a news intern for Univerisity Relations. She is from Princeton, West Virginia and loves her state and its beautiful mountains. She is passionate about many things including dogs, musicals and the Mountaineers.