Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Movie Review:


The adventures of the Baudelaire children crafted by ghost-writer Lemony Snicket aka Daniel Handler have seen nearly a dozen novels and have entranced legions of die-hard fans. It is kind of like that other small literary phenomenon known as Harry Potter.

The comparison to Harry on paper and sales maybe relevant but the content is vastly different. There is no magic here instead you kind of have a cat-and-mouse duel between the heirs of an enormous fortune and there dastardly and greedy uncle.

The Baudelaire children, who are the stars of this story, consist of the oldest Violet (Emily Browning), who is an inventor. Next is Klaus (Liam Aiken), who loves to read and remembers everything. Finally there is youngest Sunny, a pint-sized preschooler whose main joy in life is biting things with her insanely strong grip.

Our story opens as the Baudelaire children have become orphans as their parents are killed in a mysterious giant house fire. The children are given over to an appointed representative to the state, Mr. Poe (Timothy Spall), who must find the children’s closest relative to raise them.

Their closest relative, who happens to be quite distant in relation, is the mysterious and dastardly Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), who also happens to be a struggling and bad actor. Olaf lives in his own little world where he is supreme. Olaf’s evil plan is to knock-off the children and inherit their fortune. Will Olaf succeed? How will the children thwart his plans?

It isn’t called “A Series of Unfortunate Events” for nothing as the children have to take on Count Olaf on three separate adventures and meet other extremely quirky relatives like Uncle Monty (Billy Connelly) and Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep).

For the most part, this film is a series of Jim Carrey performances as he has to assume three different but unique personalities in hoping of fooling the children. Sure it’s fun to see Carrey prance around and be over-the-top much like he was in “The Grinch”. But sometimes it’s hard to remember that he is actually evil because his unique performances are so likeable, even when he is Count Olaf.

I loved the opening and closing credits for the film which set the mood and look of the film. The drab and dreary internal scenes of the film work really well and set the mood instantly. You do have to stay through the closing credits and marvel at the intricate work put into the credits.

I liked seeing Streep hamming it up once again in another over-the-top performance. I haven’t seen her take this much of a comedic turn since “Death Becomes Her” which is still such a vastly underrated dark comedy. I was also quite taken by the supporting performance of Billy Connelly as the snake specialist. I really wanted more of him.

My biggest problem with the film is that it only runs 98 minutes and we are sent on three separate adventures that are so very similar. I wanted to know more about Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine. I wanted the mystery to the parent’s demise to be deeper and slowly come together instead of being rushed. I wanted more time with the children. I would have liked at least another 10-15 minutes but maybe that’s just me.

At a quick running time, these series of events seem quite repetitive and for that it’s a shame since the cinematography, set design and performances seem to expect more.

So Says the Soothsayer



Dean Kish

It’s putting it mildly to say “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” is different. The film’s uniqueness announces itself the second the film starts -- when a short animated sequence stops momentarily with the warning, “If you want to see a cute, funny film go to theater two. This movie is an extremely unpleasant story about the Baudelaire siblings and how they lead lives filled with misery and woe.”

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” is an adaptation of author Lemony Snicket’s highly successful children’s books, each one capturing a stylized classic look and feel as well as a clever subversive humor. Part of the wit about the film comes from the writing which abounds with Lemony Snicket’s own reverse psychology of warning about doom and gloom. Thus even the description “a dreadful spectacle” translates to mean “It will stir the imagination of the entire family as it shatters the mold of adventure stories and evokes the magic of truly classic entertainment.”

When Klaus (Liam Aiken), Violet (Emily Browning) and Sunny (Kara and Shelby Hoffman) Baudelaire learn their parents have just been killed in a fire that destroyed their home, they have no idea what their future holds. They know of no other relatives, so young teens Klaus and Violet worry how they will take care of their baby sister, Sunny.

The children are first sent to live with their long-lost relative, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey). He’s a classic villain who hates the kids and wants to kill them in order to inherit their money. Carrey, with his ability to be even more outrageous every time he’s on screen, is perfect for this role. You hate Count Olaf, yet every scene draws you in with the same fear and excitement as opening a box full of vipers -- of which, incidentally, there are plenty in this film.

When the kids escape several attempts on their life by the Count, they’re taken to Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep), who lives in a dark and brooding house on stilts over the water. Aunt Josephine is a wacky woman who fears everything in life except words. She wants to do right by the kids, but when Count Olaf shows up in disguise, she’s so hungry for male attention – since her husband was eaten by leeches – she ignores the children’s warnings that he’s really Olaf and will do them all harm. Streep can perform any role to perfection, and her “Aunt Josephine” sugar coats this sour apple. She’s comical, glib and gorgeous, even as a zany widow.

The child actors faced an incredible challenge in going up against the talents of Carrey and Streep. They had to pull their own roles, and they handled it quite well. Liam Aiken conveys Klaus’s need to understand what happened to his family with an understated but effective spirit. Emily Browning adeptly reveals Violet’s inventive abilities, mothering nature and resilience at not succumbing to Olaf’s cruel treatments. As the biting and gibberish-speaking Sunny, the Hoffman twins practically steal all Carrey’s thunder in the laugh department.

Director Brad Silberling (“Moonlight Mile”) delivers the goods in terms of the film’s themes of surprise and woefulness. And Oscar-winning production designer Rick Heinrichs (“Sleepy Hollow”) has created a world where terrible things happen, but oddly there’s almost a beauty to the darkness. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, a two-time Oscar nominee (“Sleepy Hollow” and “The Little Princess”) for his ability to light a scene and bring an emotional intensity to the setting, displays that gift again in this movie.

“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” may not be for very young kids. Older children are probably already familiar with the books, but adults are in for some surprises, especially those who expect a traditional children’s movie. However, as Lemony Snicket states, “You should buy every movie ticket available and then not go see the film!”

Diana Saenger

Now this could have been a nice story about three children and their adventures in the world but life just isn't like that, especially for the
Violet (Browning), Klaus (Aiken) and Sunny Baudelaire. After losing their parents is a tragic fire, the Baudelaire children became the Baudelaire orphans and they where now in the hands of the executer of their parent's estate Mr. Poe (Spall). He made the momentous decision of placing them with their nearest relative, Count Olaf (Carrey) who wasn't actually their closest actual blood relation but he was the one who lived nearest. The Count seems ecstatic to see them but the Baudelaire orphans quickly discover
that he has no interest in their well been but just the enormous fortune their parents left behind.

With the success of the Harry Potter adaptations, filmmakers are returning to the bookshelf for their inspiration and this time they have found a
Series of Unfortunate Events.

Based on the first three novels in the series, 'The Bad Beginnings', 'The Reptile Room' and 'The Wide Window', the much loved books by Daniel Handler or Lemony Snicket, as he likes to be known, make ideal content for a new movie franchise. These are dark, gothic tales of murder, greed and tragedy, subjects that you don't commonly associate with children's novels but Lemony Snicket's stories don't set out to shield the reader from the cruelties of the world but show them that life can be a series of unfortunate events. Mix in a dash comedy, mild peril and a real sense of family and you have an intriguing world for the viewer to visit.

Director Brad Silberling and his creative team have brought the Lemon Snicket world to life. This is a strange place that combines a gothic,
period look with a 1950s style that feels like an old east coast America or Western Europe and it works extremely well, lending itself to the dark feel of the film. Huge, exotic sets with grandiose architecture are melded with Dickensian fashions and 50s technology to realise a world that is both
familiar and strange at the same time, creating a visual feast for the eye.

Inhabiting this world is a set of kooky characters that will instantly become family favourites. Chief amongst these is the dastardly Count Olaf,
played exquisitely by Jim Carrey. There is no question that Jim Carrey is a talented actor but there are two sides to this acting forte. For every
'Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind' or 'The Truman Show' there is a 'Liar, Lair' or 'Bruce Almighty', meaning you never know if you are going to see the real talent or the annoying big show, stupid faces and look at me Jim Carrey that gets on your nerves. Thankfully Count Olaf is an excellently realised character that gives Carrey the chance to showboat his comedic ability to the full. This is a devious, manipulative character that has only one goal, to steal the inheritance from the Baudelaire orphans. To do this, Count Olaf disguises himself, calling on his own 'unique' acting skills, and works his way back into the lives of the Orphans and gets rid of their new
Guardian in the process. Creating another character within a character, Carrey really shows his skill at it is so obvious that this is Olaf
pretending to someone else.

The two main child leads are played by two talented young actors. Emily Browning continues to impress, as she did in 'Ghost Ship', 'Ned Kelly' and 'The Man who Sued God', with another fine performance as inventor Violet. This is a very strong female character for young girls to get behind. She is intelligent, strong and is never the damsel in distress making her an excellent role model. Liam Aiken also impresses as Klaus, the reader with a photographic memory. Like a walking encyclopaedia, Klaus know the answer to everything and his intellect will come in handy when dealing with the dastardly Count. Both of these characters are instantly likeable and easy to
get behind, as they are never annoying as child actors can so easily be. When you add in the extremely cute and very funny baby Sunny, who's gurgles interpreted with subtitles, you have three characters that really start to care about.

There support is also extremely good. The always-brilliant Meryl Streep doesn't disappoint as Aunt Josephine. A woman ruled by the fear of
everything, Streep shows a real gift for comedy as the paranoia really starts to take over. British actor Timothy Spall continues to make roads
into Hollywood as Mr. Poe. This is another good supporting role in a high profile film for the acclaimed character actor. Billy Connelly is also good as the reptile obsessed Uncle Monty. There are also smaller roles for Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Adams as members of Count Olaf's acting troop. All of these characters are brought together by the voice of Lemony
Snicket, Jude Law.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a great piece of family entertainment. By treating its young audience as intelligent, the story and situations the characters find themselves in, can be scary and intriguing at the same time. With a message that adults should listen to what children have to say, this is a movie that all the family can enjoy and will hopefully be the start of a long running series.

Jamie Kelwick

 

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