Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Review
by Johnny Betts (johnny_betts AT hotmail DOT com)December 18th, 2004
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Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events
http://www.themoviemark.com/moviereviews/lemonysnicket.asp
Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)
PLOT
The lives of the Baudelaire children are turned upside down when their parents are killed in a house fire. They are left a sizeable fortune, but it is not to be used until the eldest child is "of age." When they are sent to live with Count Olaf (Carrey), a supposed distant relative, they soon find out that he is only after the money. They try to escape, but he constantly follows them, and they soon learn that he'll do anything for the fortune - even kill. A dark children's tale ensues.
JOHNNY'S TAKE
Lemony Snicket? Didn't Taco Bell used to have a dessert called that? I'm pretty sure they did. And much like their tacos, eating one would most certainly lead to a series of unfortunate events. Bwahahaha! Is anybody else laughing as hard as I am right now? Oh.
Anyway, did you know that Jim Carrey isn't Lemony Snicket? For some reason, I originally thought that was one of Carrey's characters. Turns out, Lemony Snicket is voiced by Jude Law. Sheesh. Why is this guy in every single movie that has been released this year? I'm barely exaggerating. Unlike his other movies, however, this one has a chance for box office success *I sit back and wait for angry emails from Jude Law fangirls COUGHmsangandmscaliHACK*
Oh well, I never read any of the Lemony Snicket books, so I didn't know who the name referred to. Nor did I really know what to expect in regard to the movie. I figured Carrey would be chewing the scenery with the veracity of Rosie O'Donnell at Christmas dinner, but other than that I was pretty clueless. Thankfully, my lack of familiarity with the books didn't lessen my enjoyment of the movie at all, and it may have caused me to enjoy the movie more than I would have had I been a huge fan of the books. Even my 10-year-old brother was overanalyzing the differences between the books and the movie while I just sat there enjoying the blueberry muffins I smuggled into the theater.
I was surprised that the story was as detailed as it is. I wondered (aloud, much to the dismay of the other theater patrons) whether a movie based on a series of children's books would keep my interest.
After all, I only mildly enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and I basically walked away wondering what all the hype was about. So I was a little surprised by how well the story was told. And I don't know if I'll find many people who agree with me, but I prefer Lemony Snicket over the four-eyed British wizard. I just enjoyed the plot more and felt the movie had more adult-oriented humor, more life, and more atmosphere.
Speaking of the atmosphere, well, it's pretty dark. Some people may feel it's a bit *too* dark for a children's movie. I admit, I was originally a little surprised at the morbid tones - death, the attempted murder of children, vipers jumping and hissing at the screen.
But if you think about it, aren't most of the old classic fairy tales pretty gloomy? For example, what happens in Hansel and Gretel? Ohhh, nothing except a witch tries to MURDER AND CANNIBALIZE two small children! And Little Red Riding Hood? That merely tackles the subject of a wolf wanting to devour a little girl. So as you see, upon further reflection, Lemony Snicket isn't all that different.
One thing I really liked about the movie is how the beginning starts off a little unexpectedly (I won't say anymore), and then Snicket starts narrating and explains that this isn't a happy, lovely holiday film. He even warns you that there is still time to leave and go watch something lighter if you want. I thought that was pretty clever. A similar warning should've been inserted at the beginning of Alexander.
I would've had less to complain about if Colin Farrell or Oliver Stone had done a quick narration explaining that I was in for nothing more than a 3-hour snoozefest.
Now back to the dark tones surrounding Lemony Snicket... Count Olaf is not a "good guy at heart" with a minor character flaw or two. Nope, Olaf is more than happy to kill children in order to gain a fortune.
And as grisly as that sounds, it actually works really well because it's done with just the right amount of humor.
The Baudelaire children manage to escape the clutches of Olaf, but he never leaves their trail as they get bounced from their snake-loving Uncle Morty (Billy Connolly) to their overly paranoid Aunt Josephine
(Streep) who refuses to use a doorknob because she's scared it'll shatter into a million pieces and get in her eye.
As Olaf tries to keep track, he appears in disguise and fools everyone except the kids. This is where Carrey shines. He does a great job as three different characters, my favorite being Captain Sham - a grizzled old captain with a wooden leg who loves the fact that he gets good parking spaces, but he laments that he doesn't have much luck with the ladies because he has a wooden leg and the face of a hen's posterior.
I've always been a Carrey fan, and I'm sure I'll be accused of being a studio shill, but he's hilarious here, and he brings his characters to life.
Everybody else does a good job as well. The kids actually are fairly competent and not the annoying little brats that you might expect in a children's movie. They're much much better than the red-headed punk
(Ronald) from Harry Potter. But hey, that's just my opinion, you could be wrong.
Things do get a tad sappy at times as the kids learn how important family is and how they have to stick together, etc. etc. But hey, it's a good, positive message, so who am I to complain too much? Make fun of the cheese a bit and have a good time.
ODDS & ENDS
* The movie is a combination of the first three Lemony Snicket books.
* The Lemony Snicket books were the first to knock the Harry Potter series off the top of the New York Times children's bestseller list.
* The books have sold more than 27 million copies worldwide.
* I've found out that saying "Lem-oh-knee SNICKET" over and over again can really get on people's nerves.
* There is a subtitled baby in the movie.
* Jennifer Coolidge is possibly the most annoying actress in the world.
MAMA'S APPROVAL
There isn't much here that's offensive, however, it might be a little too dark for really small children. My brother is 10 years old, and when I asked him if he thought it was too scary for young kids he replied, "I think it's OK for 3rd graders and up. Maybe even 2nd graders, but I'm not sure."
TRAILER COMPARISON
The trailer is a good gauge of what to expect from the movie. If it caught your interest, then you'll probably enjoy the movie.
THE GIST
If you like Jim Carrey and you're in the mood for a children's movie with dark tones reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm, then check out Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. But if you're the type of moviegoer who is only interested in light and fluffy holiday fare, then The Polar Express may be more your style.
Johnny Betts
The Movie Mark
http://www.themoviemark.com
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