Lemony Snickets - A Series of Unfortunate Events

Lemony Snicket, the narrator of the movie (Jude Law, Alfie), is an insurance agent investigating a series of unfortunate events that happened to three children – Violet, age 14, the inventor of the family, Klaus, 12, avid reader with a photographic memory and Sunny Baudelaire an infant who likes to bite things. Their parents dead, their family house burnt to the ground, the children are sent to their closest living relative (close due to distance, not by blood) Count Olaf, (Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). The children have inherited a very large fortune from their parents but aren’t allowed to have it until Violet, the eldest, is 18.

The devious Count (who considers himself quite the actor and master of disguise) hears of the fortune and does his best to bump the children off to get their money. But being the extraordinary children that they are, they certainly give the Count a run for his money. With each failed (yet at the time, ingenious) attempt – the children get shipped off to the next relative and in turn, Count Olaf shows up in various disguises.

Directed by usual TV director Brad Silberling, the film is based on the first three ‘Lemony Snicket’s’ books by Daniel Handler, ‘The Bad Beginning’, ‘The Reptile Room’, and ‘The Wide Window’. It is a deliciously dark film (dark for a kiddies film anyway) with lush, rich sets, so full of detail and beautifully directed, and I must say, I enjoyed it much more than Harry Potter (and I’m a big fan!). Up and coming Aussie actress Emily Browning and the other children are just superb as the genius kids and the list of actors in smaller roles is very impressive, from Billy Connelly as Uncle Montgomery Montgomery, Meryl Streep as their Aunt Josephine, Catherine O’Hara, and even Dustin Hoffman.

A must see for any one of any age these holidays, and if you don’t like Jim Carrey (who, incidentally, does a flawless performance), he wears so much make up and prosthetics in this flick, you’ll hardly recognise him!!