A random person's review - Pretty good, but definitely more Harry Potter than Addams Family
Binged it with my daughter... we loved The Addams Family movies and 60s TV show. We enjoyed it.
Pros:
Ortega is solid, though more badass than creepy. The setting is different, and it works. Thing steals the show, even though he's just a hand. There is a lot going on with four or five mysteries at once. At one point we had to pause to list them out. The supporting cast works, especially Wednesday's roommate Enid. It's got an eerie, gothic Tim-Burton feel to it, which gives the show a nice vibe throughout.
It's definitely more in tune with the Harry Potter movies than Addams Family. It's absolutely fine, but I had to switch gears when I went in - I was expecting more in tune with the crazy antics from the TV show and movies. She's basically in Hogwarts. There are mysteries within the halls she has to find, complete with secret passageways, creepy staff, and rivalries with other students. People have powers - werewolves, witches, sirens, ghosts, telekinesis, shape-shifting, Wednesday is clairvoyant, etc.
It's a fun ride - I'd give it a B. It does have a couple major problems that keep it from being an A.
Cons:
- Luis Guzman is a trainwreck as Gomez. I get he looks somewhat like the original drawings Charles Addams did, but it just does not work. He looks seriously uncomfortable in every scene as if he doesn't know what he's supposed to do. He has zero chemistry with Zeta-Jones, which is critical for their very affectionate relationship to seem believable. Gomez could have brought some much-needed humor, which is my second nitpick.
- It's just not funny. Wednesday is supposed to be the opposite of a sweet little girl. That's where her humor is derived from. In this, she's simply incredible at everything and just comes off as a bitch instead of creepy. Yet in the end everyone wants to date her or be her friend. So there isn't a lot of humor to be derived from. She says her lines and a couple hit, but taking her out of the normal world element and dropping her into Hogwarts takes some of that away since she's surrounded by fellow weirdos. Burton should rely on the surrounding characters for levity, but her family, teachers, and friends just aren't that funny. Trish and Gomez barely do anything. Pugsley is just a chubby, pathetic boy. Lurch stands around in the background. So we have Thing and Enid to do all the heavy lifting.