On November 23, the iconic Addams family returned to the screens: Netflix presented a new series about Wednesday Addams. Other members of the strange family also appear in the frame, but the focus is on the daughter of Gomez and Mortisha. In this review, we tell whether the authors of the project managed to create a really interesting story with a touch of horror.

“Wednesday” / Wednesday

Genre detective, fantasy, horror, comedy
Directors Tim Burton, Ganja Monteiro, James Marshall
In roles Jenna Ortega, Luis Guzman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwendoline Christie, Christina Ricci
Premiere Netflix
Graduation year 2022
Site IMDb

After 15-year-old Wednesday Addams launches a pack of piranhas into the pool with her younger brother Pugsley’s abusers, the girl is kicked out of school. Gomez and Mortish’s parents decide to send their daughter to Nevermore Academy. The so-called outcasts study there, that is, vampires, werewolves, sirens and other representatives of the supernatural contingent.

At first, the little rebel will try to escape from this unpleasant place, but brutal murders in the nearby forest will force her to investigate. In addition, the young heroine will meet with the dark mystery of her own family, which grows roots in the events of 32 years ago, which happened precisely in Nevermore. Now Wednesday will face terrible secrets and bloodthirsty monsters, but the most terrifying thing she will have to face is growing up.

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The story of the apparently wild, but innocent Addams family begins in 1938. Then the American cartoonist Charles Addams created a newspaper comic that appeared on the pages of The New Yorker magazine. It was successfully published until the death of its author in 1988. The work received a lot of screen adaptations, and one of the most outstanding is Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 film. It was a debut for the now famous director.

The current story is no longer very similar to social satire and mainly concerns a pale-faced, gloomy girl with two pigtails. This is a completely teenage detective story with elements of fantasy, horror and comedy. In fact, the authors placed the conventional Veronica Mars in a gothic Harry Potter setting.

Tim Burton, an experienced connoisseur of black fairy tales, directed half of the episodes. Ironically, he was supposed to direct the film that was released 31 years ago, but it didn’t work out. It will come as no surprise to anyone that “Wednesday” is aimed primarily at a teenage audience. Here, the non-human heroine will have to establish relationships with her peers, build relationships with friends and learn to trust. In a word – to socialize.

In this, she will be helped by Rich – a hand patched from different sides, which is not ashamed to show the middle finger when necessary. In general, Wednesday will have to do almost the same as ordinary teenagers. Only before that, she still has to expose the sinister plan and overcome the evil that has arisen.

From the point of view of detective intrigue, the project is quite fascinating, although the outcome is not at all surprising. The artistic design is generally at the highest level: costumes, make-up, gothic locations and other elements of the frame are perfectly executed. It is also worth noting the good casting. Luis Guzman and Catherine Zeta Jones appear briefly, but look convincing in their roles. The participation of Christina Ricci, who has already tried on the image of the title character, is seen as symbolic.

But everyone else is overshadowed by the young talent of Jenna Ortega, who the audience could see in this year’s slashers “Creek” and “X”. The camera tirelessly captures her close-ups, while the actress with just one look makes everyone around her treat the character with fear and caution. Ortega delivers a confident transformation, and her Wednesday is able to evoke genuine empathy, despite her detachment from others and manipulation of her peers.

The result was generally more than satisfactory. This is a qualitatively acted and staged teenage series. Not overly dramatic, like some “Riverdale”, but not quite childish to be considered a passing fairy tale. And he is stylish and sometimes laughs well.

It is obvious that the project cannot significantly stand out from the mass of other projects of this type. But this is not necessary when all the ingredients are in place to become a good product for your target audience. “Wednesday” turns out to be just that.

Pros:
a good detective plot, a good selection of actors, an interesting main character and her amazing dance, an authentic gothic atmosphere, funny moments

Cons:
general typicality of the plot and banal resolution

Conclusion:
“Wednesday” is not outstanding, but a good pastime at the screen. Although the series is intended for teenagers, even an adult bearded uncle was able to watch it without much effort. And this is already a noticeable indicator