A big-screen adaptation of the 1960s TV series, 1991’s The Addams Family brought a successful enterprise. Through not a huge hit, it did pretty well and also established cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld as a feature director.

25 years earlier, Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) offended his brother Fester, and the latter disappeared. Every year on this anniversary, Gomez, wife Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and the rest of their morbidly eccentric family stage a séance to attempt to reunite with Fester.

These attempts always fail, but they open the door for a scam artist to make a killing. Their accountant Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya) owes a fortune to loan shark Abigail Craven (Elizabeth Wilson) and he attempts to scrape up the needed funds from Gomez.

Tully comes up with a scheme when he meets Craven’s son Gordon (Christopher Lloyd), a thug who bears a strong resemblance to Fester. Gordon impersonates Fester and tries to wheedle his way toward the Addams fortune.

Most adaptations of TV series don’t work very well, but Family manages to overcome that curse. Darkly comic, it turns into a pretty enjoyable effort.

The producers didn't on cast, and it shows with a crew of terrific actors like Julia, Huston and Lloyd. None of these actors were then or ever became huge names, but they're solid performers whose work adds a lot of credibility to the project, and they're all very good.

I especially likeJulia's hilariously manic acting as patriarch Gomez. All at once he makes the character suave and dashing but also often displays an incredible amount of child-like glee and zest. It's a great performance.

Most notable among the actors, however, is then-young Christina Ricci as sullen and morose daughter Wednesday. This wasn't her first movie - actually, it was her third, after turns in both Mermaids and The Hard Way - but it was a breakout performance as she stole every since in which she appeared with her morbidly dark but wittily nasty tone. Her success in the role directly affected the sequel, as she receives much screen time in 1993’s Addams Family Values.

Family also is served well by the hyperkinetic directing of Barry Sonnenfeld. Sonnenfeld earned note as a cinematographer, primarily through his efforts alongside the Coen brothers.

Family was Sonnenfeld's initial directorial attempt, and he quickly establishes what would become his signature style of flashy camera movements.

For the most part, Sonnenfeld's spastic methods work well for Family because he brings a new energy to the piece. Not content to simply rehash the TV show, Sonnenfeld's high level of activity makes the movie something different and fairly exciting. Even after all these years - and similar styles in most of his other films - it still seems pretty fun here, and the movie as a whole remains witty and entertaining.

The Addams Family appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. A product of its era, this became a largely positive presentation.

Sharpness varied but usually appeared pretty good. Some interiors and nighttime shots could be a little on the soft side, but much of the film displayed nice accuracy.

I saw no issues with jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to appear.

Given the subject matter, the film largely opted with a subdued palette. Within these choices, though, the colors felt appropriate.

Blacks appeared dark and dense, and shadows looked smooth despite the minor softness that manifested during low-light elements. Though it could show its age, the image usually fared pretty well.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it worked fine for its vintage as well. Given the movie’s ambitions, it didn’t always sizzle, but it packed a decent punch when necessary.

Music showed good stereo presence, and the various channels contributed solid engagement to the side and rear. Much of the material remained atmospheric, but the movie’s wilder scenes – like one with Gomez’s toy trains – managed to open up the side and rear speakers in a dynamic manner.

Audio quality also seemed fine. Speech was reasonably natural and concise, while music showed acceptable pep and clarity.

Effects brought us accurate enough material, though some mild distortion cropped up at times. The soundtrack held up well over the last 28 years.

We get two trailers but the disc lacks any other extras.

A good mix of morbid comedy and slapstick, The Addams Family remains enjoyable. Largely thanks to a strong cast, the movie keeps us entertained. The Blu-ray comes with fairly good picture and audio but it lacks supplements. Witty and fun, the movie works.

Note that this disc appears only via a “Two-Movie Collection” that pairs Addams Family with its sequel, Addams Family Values.

Also note that the Addams Family disc reviewed here duplicates one that came out on its own in 2014. If you own the 2014 Blu-ray, you’ll find nothing different here. Values makes its Blu-ray debut in this package, though.