Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Addams Family Values Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson October 10, 2019

To coincide with MGM/UA's forthcoming animated version of THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Paramount has released the 1993 sequel THE ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES on Blu-ray for the first time. Barry Sonnenfeld's second feature as director is also part of Paramount's new twin pack, which also includes his debut, the live-action THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991).

The Addams Family probably took some in the industry by surprise, considering that it was a pretty big commercial success from a two-season TV series twenty-five years earlier. Indeed, it raked in over $113 million at the US box office, demonstrating that the Addams' are perhaps America's favorite atypical family on the big screen. Making a sequel became inevitable and before long, Paramount, producer Scott Rudin, screenwriter Paul Rudnick (who did some script-doctoring on the first film), and director Barry Sonnefeld were back at work. Addams Family Values reunites most of the principals from the original, with the exception of Granny's Judith Malina, who was replaced by Carol Kane. The Addams' are welcoming a new member to their kooky family: baby boy Pubert, whose already developing the same thin mustache as his papa, Gomez Addams (Raul Julia). The arrival of a third Addams child creates a dilemma for siblings Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman), who believe the myth that once a family has three kids, one is destined to die. They don't want to be the first so they chaff Pubert by pointing an anvil over his head and ensnaring his neck under a guillotine. Mother Morticia (Anjelica Huston) doesn't really think they'll follow through with the execution of her newborn but she nonetheless hires a nanny to look after Pubert. Sexy Black Widow Debbie Jelinsky (Joan Cusack) gladly accepts the job but she's much more interested in snatching the savings bonds of Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd), whose desirous of a debutante blonde like Debbie. Fester is so gullible that he gets seduced and charmed by Debbie to the point of tying the knot! Meanwhile, the Addams parents want to keep Pugsley and Wednesday away from Pubert so they drop them off at Camp Chippewa, which to son and daughter becomes WASP summer camp from Hell.

Waiting for baby Addams to pop out!

Addams Family Values has a lot more going on and for it than its predecessor, which also makes it a more entertaining Gothic comedic romp. Rudnick as well as editors Jim Miller and Arthur Schmidt smoothly interlock the three subplots with some graphic matches and continuity editing. The film is playfully subversive in its content but rather classical in structure, which is fine because it adds up to a big showdown between Debbie, Fester, and the rest of the Addams' clan. In the Camp Chippewa scenes, Sonnenfeld breaks down puritanical mores and young WASPs' colonization of ancient Indian land and tribal traditions. In her fifth film, Christina Ricci emerges as a scene stealer that transforms Addams Family Values into a riotous hoot.

Note: At the test screenings, Barry Sonnenfeld recalled to Jamie Portman of Southam News (Beverly Hills, CA) that people over age 25 became uncomfortable when Wednesday and Pugsley trifle the baby to near-death while children between the ages 10 of 22 "loved it."

Addams Family Values Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount brings Addams Family Values to Blu-ray for the first time on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Like the first movie, it's displayed in 1.78:1, which opens up the frame from the DVDs' 1.85:1. The print is struck from a dated source and the extant dirt hasn't been cleaned up all that much. The good news is that the transfer doesn't have the noise reduction issues that plagues the image on Warner/Paramount's The Addams Family BDs. Grain lovers will also delight what's been left here. The not-so-good-news is that there's some telecine wobbling and the image sometimes appears like upconverted SD video. The contrast on this transfer leaves a lot to be desired. Paramount has encoded the feature at a mean video bitrate of 33997 kbps.

The transfer is faithful to the makers' visual inspiration: hundreds of Charles Addams's cartoons that appeared in The New Yorker and which production designer Ken Adam employed as a template for the sets. In an interview with Joel Engel of the New York Times, Adam underscored that the visible wall cracks in the Addams' manse used brown, the predominant color scheme (see scenes featuring Gomez's library). Deep black and charcoal gray are two other primary hues. The only scenes to show any vibrancy are those shot at California's Sequoia National Forest, which include the Sequoia Lake Camp and Tulequoia Camp. But some of those are very grey and teal (see Screenshot #3).

Paramount has provided sixteen scene selections.

Addams Family Values Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount supplies an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (3773 kbps, 24-bit), which has been remixed from the theatrical release's Spectral Recording of the Dolby Digital Stereo (the 2.0 track is on the prior DVDs but not here). The lossless audio is arguably as aggressive in scope and range as the remix for the first film. Dialogue is cleanly reproduced here. There are some wonderful sight gags that deliver some distinct separation of f/x along the surround channels. The tango dance is also a highlight. Marc Shaiman returned to give another whimsical score. He also makes more use of the classic TV theme than he did for the first. The song that goes with the closing credits sounds very dated (as does the ballad performed during the end credits for the '91 film).

There are optional English SDH and a whole host of other subs in various languages.

Addams Family Values Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are absolutely no extras found on this disc.

Addams Family Values Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm quite happy to have Addams Family Values finally on Blu-ray but the existing print could be cleaned up and would greatly benefit from a new 4K scan. The transfer is mostly watchable and the DTS-HD MA 5.1 is on par with the uncompressed English remix that Warner and Paramount did for the first film. It's greatly lamentable not to have any bonus materials but I WARMLY RECOMMEND Addams Family Values and series fans should add it to their collections.