The Addams Family 2, sequel to the animated The Addams Family, released to movie theaters on October 1, 2021, to little critical acclaim. Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon and co-directed by Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic, The Addams Family 2 received $5.5 million the first day in theaters and added $17.3 million its debut weekend. The cast included several big-name actors, featuring Oscar Isaac as Gomez, Charlize Theron as Morticia, Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday as well as Wallace Shawn, Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler and Bill Hader.

The film’s plot revolves around the Addamses taking a road trip around the United States in a rickety van together for a three-week family bonding experience after Gomez fears that his relationship with is daughter is falling apart – only for the vacation to be continually disrupted by a lawyer representing a mad scientist who claims that Wednesday Addams was switched at birth and is, in fact, not an Addams.

Despite its star-studded and famously talented and comedic cast, The Addams Family 2 attempted humor fell flat and the plot was unnecessarily complicated yet underwhelming. It further failed to encapsulate the creepy and eccentric vibe that the Addamses are known for. Irrelevant and small storylines contributed nothing if not annoyance and slight disturbances to the film and added a feeling of choppiness and superfluousness rather than a smooth and enjoyably dynamic thread of action.

The characters of the film were indeed well-cast, despite them being poorly written. They were each intended to serve unique purposes: Wednesday, the main character with whom watchers are supposed to lend their support; Gomez, the father that is supposed to gain sympathy; and the attempted main comedic relief, Uncle Fester, who was placed for laughs. Fester’s humor as well as his voice were thoroughly unenjoyable and instilled uncomfortableness throughout the duration of the film. However, though the forced humor of Fester failed to land, Morticia and Wednesday Addams added a sense of normalcy, calmness, and somewhat elegance which acted as the film’s saving grace.

The forced modernity of the film also added frustrations. Repeated mentions of current popular singers, like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Beyonce throughout quickly grew old, and a sudden product placement of a Progressive insurance billboard as well as a weak COVID-19 reference is sure to induce eyerolls among watchers. Filmmakers and film contributors surely wanted the audience to understand the time this film was supposedly set in, but the approach and execution of doing so was unsatisfactory.

Visually, however, The Addams Family 2 stunned. Though the majority of the movie and the character designs were bland, scenes featuring intricate details like explosions, fire and scientific experiments wowed. The opening scene is sure to impress viewers as Wednesday Addams’s science fair project takes form through vibrant colors, patterns and elements in various tools and materials; a scene in which Pugsley Addams, the youngest son of Morticia and Gomez, sets off an explosion adds a quick jolt of energy and necessary feeling of impressiveness to the film in the midst of so many unpleasant aspects.

Overall, The Addams Family 2 is an unpleasant watch with a pleasant cast. The weak humor further detracted from what was already a complicated and unenjoyable plot. It was only more disappointing that it failed to act as a spooky and strange movie to set the stage for a creepy Halloween autumnal mood. If you’re looking for an entertaining and delightfully not-too-scary Halloween movie, avoid The Addams Family 2 and instead revisit trusty and lovable classics.