Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Reviewed by Ogre3000
Posted December 21, 2004
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Imagine Harry Potter told by the late, greats Edward Gorey and Charles Addams. Lemony Snicket's books are the answer to Harry Potter and other current children/early teen hits, but seen through a bizarre gothic scope. And so is the movie. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is apparently set at least in the last few decades (a character makes mention of sending him a fax) but with a '50s neo-Victorian goth look and seldom-seen sun, our heroes' story begins in tragedy.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are left orphans after a fire takes their parents and home. Soon, they are bundled off to live with their uber-bizarre and downright creepy "uncle," Count Olaf, a really vain and ghastly actor. He makes virtual slaves of them, gives them impossible tasks and makes no bones about only wanting them around (until he can get rid of them, one way or another) for the Baudelaire fortune. He finally is tripped up and Mr. Poe (the custodian of the will) takes them to live with other relatives. But, of course, the evil odious Count keeps returning in other guises. The children can see right though them, but the adults, always too late.
Welp, I really enjoyed this movie. Jim Carrey chews up the screen in a character that simply begs, nay demands for him to be portrayed that way. His Count Olaf is creepy, evil but funny as all get out and you find yourself liking and loathing him at the same time. The kids do a fantastic job; Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken) and Sunny (twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman) as well as the great Billy Connolly and Meryl Streep as Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine.
I will see this movie again and now I want to finish the books (strangely enough, I only read the first three, the ones adapted). The makers of the film did juggle the order of events in the book, but in order to have a climax instead of "to be continued", they had to do so. 5 out of 5 stars and I look forward to the sequels I am sure are in the planning stage.
Till next time, OGRE3000...
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