Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
I love the look of this film. Largely appropriated from the illustrations in the soon to be finished thirteen book set of A Series of Unfortunate Events, the film simply oozes style. The design, the music, and indeed all the technical aspects of the film shine. The tone is a darkly humorous one that I have been willing to return to the kids films of today, away from the usual fairy floss of crap. Still, the film feels like it is missing something, never the sum of its delightful parts. In all aspects it gave me the same feeling that the Peter Pan adaptation of a few years ago gave me – a somewhat hollow one. I really enjoyed both that film, and this one, and would probably enjoy watching them multiple times each, but there just seems to be something slightly awry, and I honestly do not know what exactly it is. Of course I can guess, and my first guess would have to be Jim Carey. Now, don’t get me wrong, he is a delight to watch here, hilarious, and at his scene stealing best…
…however…
…despite the fact that Count Olaf is a large character, and despite how well Carey runs with it, in becoming so theatrical the character loses his more sinister edge present in the books. Carey is even funny when his character is killing people, which really (and obviously) should have been the time to present the menacing side to this buffoon. With him behind the make-up and disguises it becomes less about Lemony Snicket and less about the Baudelaire orphans and even less about Count Olaf as it is about Jim Carey. It would have impressed me more if he had seamlessly blended into this world instead of becoming its nucleus. Still, he is funny.
I can tell you where the problem is not, and that is with any of the other actors, especially the kids. Melbourne gal Emily Browning does well as Violet, and the goofy smiley kid from Stepmom (you know you’ve seen it too) is great here as Klaus. The Ritalin must have worked. Cute little Sunny – obviously half baby actor twins/half scary looking CG – is indicative of how the film has translated the book's humor quite smartly, her subtitles just part of a slew of cute touches and in-jokes, with more than a few based on Snicket’s infamous habit of trying to persuade you not to read the sad and dreary tale he has devoted his life to telling.
The story is derived from a mix of the first three separate stories of the popular series, and so perhaps the problem with the film is the same as in the early books: that these stories all follow the same rhythms. There’s the same set-up (orphans go to live with unknown relative), pretty much same story (Olaf tracks them down), and a similar ending (an unfortunate one). The books diverge from the formula around book number 5, (when it becomes one long narrative), but for the film they have chosen, perhaps unwisely, to save the greater tale for future sequels and for now to stick with the book chronology. That they were able to come up with a suitable ending from all of this is quite impressive, but it still feels like just the beginning – like watching the groundwork being laid for further installments. Let’s hope there are some, because it would be a real shame if this – as good as it is – is the best they can do with the great source material.