Wednesday Review: Jenna Ortega is Darkly Engaging In Tim Burton’s Ghoulish and Successful Recreation of ‘The Addams Family’ Saga! (LatestLY Exclusive)
Wednesday is a comedy-horror series on Netflix that stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character. Also starring Gwendoline Christie, Emma Myers, Riki Lindhorne, Catherine Zeta-Jones and more, the series is streaming on Netflix.
Wednesday Review: Recreating any established story is definitely a hard task, yet Alfred Gough and Miles Millar feel effortless in their execution of Wednesday with Tim Burton’s hand guiding their journey. A great match of Gothic macabre mixed in with Burton’s eye for darkness, Wednesday was an enjoyable treat that established Jenna Ortega’s darkly engaging act as a highlight. 1899 Review: Emily Beecham, Andreas Pietschmann Elevate This Engagingly Enigmatic Mystery Series From the Creators of ‘Dark’ (LatestLY Exclusive).
When Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) tries to kill her brother Pugsley’s (Isaac Ordonez) bullies, she is expelled from her school and sent to Nevermore Academy, an institution for outcasts and creeps. Trying to manage her developing supernatural abilities while navigating this school and not end up like her parents, Wednesday must involve herself in a murder mystery that will take her on a new journey.
Jenna Ortega is perfect in the role of Wednesday Addams. Feeling like a tailor-made fit, she plays Wednesday like the harbinger of doom by delivering pain to anyone who crosses her. Having a stoic attitude while delivering snarky responses with a stone-cold face, Ortega brings a teenage aspect to this classic character that feels like a fun innovation. Same can be said for the remainder of the Addams family too, with Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Morticia Addams having a great dynamic with Ortega.
Then you have the rest of the Nevemore Academy that is filled with classic supernatural beings that includes the likes of Vampires, Werewolves and Sirens. Amidst that we have Emma Myers’ Enid Sinclair, Wednesday’s roommate with a penchant of colour whose personality acts as a stark contrast to Ortega’s gothic black-and-white getup and that provides for some nice chemistry. Gwendoline Christie’s Larissa Weems, the headmaster of Nevermore, adds some star power too while Christina Ricci, who has portrayed Wednesday in the past, was a surprise in her portrayal of Marilyn Thornhill. Overall, the cast is a fun ensemble of diverse characters.
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With a murder mystery on the rise too that makes Wednesday turn into a ghoulish detective, the story here does a good job at re-introducing The Addams Family for a modern generation. Tim Burton was a great match here and his aesthetic brings a lot of personality to this story. Unfortunately, by the end of it the writing does drag on a bit too long because managing a bunch of side-plots in those eight episodes makes everything seem packed.
The coming-of-age beats in Wednesday were interesting too. Wednesday’s story is something that won’t be relatable for many, but that self-journey of finding yourself in a place while trying to distinguish yourself from your parents is something that feels executed quite well. While those beats are the standard for any coming-of-age story, it’s the aesthetic of it all with Ortega’s performance leading it that make it a fun watch.
Recreating the entirety of The Addams Family too to fit this dark vision was surely a risky adventure, and one that pays off, but is not without its qualms. Mixing in the old ideas with new, there is something fresh over here that definitely does deserve its admiration, however, not all of the ideas do work which does bring down the series a couple of times. Mainly the points which try to modernise the concept and some messy parts here and there. Andor Season Finale Review: Diego Luna’s Star Wars Spinoff Concludes With a Spectacular Bang! (LatestLY Exclusive).
The overall Gothic nature of the set design makes for a great personality too and the series brings forward a classic teenage romp that felt well paired with Danny Elfman and Chris Bacon’s score. Dark and fun, this was a treat to watch.
Yay!
Jenna Ortega
Good Recreation of Addams Family
Nay!
Writing Can Drag on at Times
Some Ideas Don’t Work
Final Thoughts
Wednesday is a dark and gothic adventure that is worth your time. Jenna Ortega’s deadpan performance is a highlight while the recreation of The Addams Family definitely honours the roots of the originals. Wednesday is streaming on Netflix right now.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 24, 2022 10:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).