Release Date: December 17, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language
Directed by: Brad Silberling
Starring: Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Billy Connolly, Jennifer Coolidge, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Luis Guzman, Craig Ferguson, Cedric the Entertainer, Jude Law (voice of Lemony Snicket)
Plot:
This is the story of the Bauedelaires, three young orphans, Violet (Browning), Klaus (Aiken) and Sunny, looking for a new home, who are taken in by a series of odd relatives and other people, including Lemony Snicket, who narrates the film, and starting with the cunning and dastardly Count Olaf (Carrey), who hopes to snatch their inheritance from them. Violet is the oldest of the Baudelaires at 14, and is their brave and fast-thinking leader. The only boy is middle child Klaus, 12, who is intensely intelligent and obsessed with words. The youngest is infant Sunny, who speaks in a language only her siblings can understand, and she has a tendency to... bite.
Review:
Adapted from the famous book series, Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events had transformed itself to the screen. Fantasy is what the books and the film are all about. With a simple story and a beautiful fantasy world, this film is a flawed, but enjoyable adventure. The Baudelaire's have died after their house burns down and the children become orphans who need someone to be their parent.
This film stars Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, Emily Browning as Violet Baudelaire, Liam Aiken as Klaus Baudelaire and Jude Law is Lemony Snicket himself as the narrator. The films main appeal is without a question Jim Carrey. There is plenty to come from Jim Carrey as he disguises himself as different characters in this film and he is very much the center of attention.
Jim Carrey is as hyper active as he can get in this movie. There is no question that he is alive and energetic in the entire film. As a whole, Carrey doesn't disappoint, as far as acting goes. The word disappointing could be used though towards the children that have been casted in this film. Liam Aiken is very stiff and his acting seems forced and comes out bland. Emily Brownin is not as bad, but does lose her touch in some scenes.
Perhaps the fact that the rest of the cast was superb could have made the children look below average. Either way, this film follows the children as the main characters, but you will always find Count Olaf popping out of nowhere unexpectedly. While Carrey does offer a few laughs, this film is kind of dry in comedy, especially if expectations are high and in this case everyone was.
The production team are the ones that should be congratulated for a job well done. Carrey comes out as a ego maniac at times, but also gives a solid performance. One thing is for sure, and that is that no one but Carrey could have probably played Count Olaf. The films direction is good no doubt, however, the screenplay features some mediocre dialogue and even lame and unnecessary sequences at times.
Directed by Brad Silberling, he brings a solid visual style to the screen. Silberling also knows how to surprisingly shock the audience as shown in a couple of instances. He has also directed City of Angels and Moonlight Mile. The films pace in some ways is without a doubt quick, at times it goes almost as fast as Cat in the Hat does. Although not a musical it seems to act like one.
A sequel is bound to occur and I'm sure the second time around there can even be more positive attributes. This is a film that filmmakers will adjust next time to what was missing in the original. With the sequel should come children that can act better, for the girl Dakota Fanning would easily be the best choice, although a bit young. Whatever the sequel may offer, a change for the better might even make it a must see.
Lemony Snicket's: A Series Of Unfortunate Events is a decent picture filled with some entertainment value. This film, however, is no where near the quality of the Harry Potter series. There are flaws which I have already mentioned and it brings this film down some. If there was simply a bit more patience and if the film was a bit longer, it could have been even better, still this film is acceptable entertainment.
