Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events
Jim Carrey, Emily Browning, Liam Aiken; Directed by Brad Silberling
The Baudelaire children have just received the most terrible news. They’re parents have perished in a fire that has destroyed their home in the middle of town, and now, they are the Baudelaire orphans. Unfortunately, things are only going to get worse from here. They are soon whisked off to the decrepit house of their new legal guardian, - Count Olaf, - a horrible actor, parent, and human being in general. It is not long before the children learn that Olaf’s only interest in them is the enormous fortune that is tied to their name, a fortune inaccessible until the eldest Baudelaire, Violet, turns eighteen. Thinking to bypass this lengthy wait, Olaf proceeds to devise several ways to off the children. As Violet, Klaus, and Sunny escape each plot with their combined ingenuity and skills, they are soon taken to another guardian, the kind and loving Uncle Monty. But they cannot seem to shake the menacing Count, and each place they go has Olaf only a step or two behind, - and sometimes ahead.
This film is based on the popular children’s book series of the same name, written by the delightfully sardonic British author Daniel Handler. The first three books in the series were combined into this first film, and the producers had hoped to eventually turn all 13 books into film adaptations. Unfortunately, due to lower-than-expected ticket sales, this never came to pass, and this is truly a shame. Brad Silberling created for us one of the most unique and original movies of recent years. The production design was amazing. The atmosphere that was created was ghostly and beautiful at the same time. A breathtaking scene on a lake looked almost apocalyptic with a strange eerie orange glow enveloping the children’s surroundings after a terrifying hurricane had just passed. Audience are taken from one strange place to the next along with the children, including a room full of reptiles housed inside something like a glass cathedral, and an old cliff top house, teetering over a lake hundreds of feet below on rickety planks and stands.
The parental guardians are outrageous caricatures of the worst and best in adults, brilliant played out to every quirky end by Jim Carrey, Billy Connolly, and Meryl Streep. The children were not doe-eyed Welch’s Grape Juice models or bleached blonde teen divas. These kids were intelligent and bright, able to carry the suffocating weight of the terrible deaths they have to deal with throughout the film. They are singularly gifted kids each with their own talent to bring to their horrible situations. One is an inventor, one is an avid reader and researcher, and the youngest, more than anything in the world, loves to bite things. All three talents come in handy on multiple occasions. Actors Liam Aiken and Emily Browning were exceptionally talented and I am looking forward to seeing more of their work in the future. Jim Carrey plays Count Olaf as quite a goof, but there are also moments of chilling menace that come out in his eyes that can wipe the smiles off of our faces. Because this film is really showcasing three different stories, there is a lot going on, the pace is always moving, and there is never a dull moment onscreen.
This film is an awesome mix of reality and fantasy. It was refreshing to see a children’s movie that had depth and meaning. Kids need to know that life will not always be sunny and bright, but also that we always have the power to try and make things better. Anyone who is even mildly close with their siblings is going to be able to easily connect with these kids, and maybe even be moved to tears by the time the last scene rolls around (and yes, I am guilty of that...) Some scenes may be a bit too intense for younger kids, and parents may find one of the plotlines a little disconcerting (Olaf attempts to marry Violet at one point), but these things should not prevent older kids from seeing this wonderfully imaginative tragedy/comedy.
Originality = A
Story = A
DVD Extras = B+
Acting = A
Enjoyability = A-
Visuals = A+
Overall Grade = A
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