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Amazon.co.uk Review
If you spliced Charles Addams, Dr. Seuss, Charles Dickens, Edward Gorey, and Roald Dahl into a Tim Burtonesque landscape, you'd surely come up with something like Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Many critics (in mostly mixed reviews) wondered why Burton didn't direct this comically morbid adaptation of the first three books in the popular series by Daniel Handler (a.k.a. "Lemony Snicket," played here by Jude Law and seen only in silhouette) instead of TV and Casper veteran Brad Silberling, but there's still plenty to recommend the playfully bleak scenario, in which three resourceful orphans thwart their wicked, maliciously greedy relative Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), who subjects them to... well, a series of unfortunate events. Along the way they encounter a herpetologist uncle (Billy Connolly), an anxious aunt (Meryl Streep) who's afraid of everything, and a variety of fantastical hazards and mysterious clues, some of which remain unresolved. Given endless wonders of art direction, costume design, and cinematography, Silberling's direction is surprisingly uninspired (in other words, the books are better), but when you add a throwaway cameo by Dustin Hoffman, Law's amusing narration, and Carrey's over-the-top antics, the first Lemony movie suggests a promising franchise in the making. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
DVD Description
• Feature (1.85:1 widescreen) • Commentary #1 with Director Brad Silberling • Commentary #2 with Director Brad Silberling and the Real Lemony Snicket
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
My first impression of the tone with which both the books and the film are advertised was that it was a bit like J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series without the magical/supernatural elements. E.g. a story about teenage/child heroes who have to cope with truly horrible and strange enemies and events, shot through with some very dark and ironic humour.
Having watched the film this feeling was reinforced.
The introductory sequence shows cute little dancing and singing birds, animals and elves, and then you cut to a warning that this is not a cheerful happy story at all. The author, Lemony Snickett, voiced by Jude Law, warns that it is a tale of three orphans who experience a series of unfortunate events ...
The film is based on the first three books of the series. The three Baudelaire children, Violet, Claus, and baby Sunny, learn at the start of the book that their house has mysteriously burned down and their parents have been killed in the fire. A kindly and well meaning but naive banker called Mr Poe (Timothy Spall) places them with a series of distant relatives as gardians: the evil Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), snake expert Dr Montgomery Montgomery (Billy Connally) and an aunt who is terrified of everything (Meryl Streep.) Count Olaf is a master of disguise who pursues the children around the country in the hope of inheriting their fortune, giving Jim Carrey the opportunity to demonstrate his own uncanny skill in modifying his appearance and mannerisms.
In fact Carrey's ability to appear in several different guises which are similar enough for the viewer (and the children) to recognise that they are all Count Olaf, but different enough that it is just about possible to accept that nobody else recognises him is one of the more impressive parts of the film.
The two elder child actors are excellent and I think we will hear more of Liam Aitken and Emily Browning. (The baby is played by two identical twins.)
This could be moderately scary for a small child. We watched it with our children (both aged five) ready to turn it off if they became upset: they coped well enough but did not really understand what was going on. Don't think I will show it to them again for several years.
Special effects and the spooky music were very well done.
As a family film, where the children are 10 to 14, this was quite well done, and certainly different. But not for those whose tastes run for a stong dose of saccharine ...
Having watched the film this feeling was reinforced.
The introductory sequence shows cute little dancing and singing birds, animals and elves, and then you cut to a warning that this is not a cheerful happy story at all. The author, Lemony Snickett, voiced by Jude Law, warns that it is a tale of three orphans who experience a series of unfortunate events ...
The film is based on the first three books of the series. The three Baudelaire children, Violet, Claus, and baby Sunny, learn at the start of the book that their house has mysteriously burned down and their parents have been killed in the fire. A kindly and well meaning but naive banker called Mr Poe (Timothy Spall) places them with a series of distant relatives as gardians: the evil Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), snake expert Dr Montgomery Montgomery (Billy Connally) and an aunt who is terrified of everything (Meryl Streep.) Count Olaf is a master of disguise who pursues the children around the country in the hope of inheriting their fortune, giving Jim Carrey the opportunity to demonstrate his own uncanny skill in modifying his appearance and mannerisms.
In fact Carrey's ability to appear in several different guises which are similar enough for the viewer (and the children) to recognise that they are all Count Olaf, but different enough that it is just about possible to accept that nobody else recognises him is one of the more impressive parts of the film.
The two elder child actors are excellent and I think we will hear more of Liam Aitken and Emily Browning. (The baby is played by two identical twins.)
This could be moderately scary for a small child. We watched it with our children (both aged five) ready to turn it off if they became upset: they coped well enough but did not really understand what was going on. Don't think I will show it to them again for several years.
Special effects and the spooky music were very well done.
As a family film, where the children are 10 to 14, this was quite well done, and certainly different. But not for those whose tastes run for a stong dose of saccharine ...
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
If you're looking for a fun "Shrek" like film to fill a family evening's viewing then be warned, because what we have here is something very different.
First off, the story, despite the huge popularity in America of the children’s books on which it’s based, is really very strange – an orphaned teenage sister & brother and their toddler sister are delivered into the hands of three mentally "deranged" guardians, one of whom is intent on killing them, before they finally retrieve the situation at the point where the most seriously unhinged of the guardians is about to be allowed, by a large group of supposedly trustworthy adults, to marry the 14 year old girl. And, for anyone unfamiliar with the books, the implausibility of it all, coupled with its really quite disturbing undertones, is a major problem. Is this a seriously distorted adult’s view of children or an unnecessarily frightening child’s view of adults? And, on either level, what is going on here?
So that's the bad news... and the good news? Everything else about the film is stunningly brilliant. The cinema photography, set design and production are quite incredible, recreating a visually distorted world in such detail and scale that it's up there with Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" as one of the best examples of gothic cinema ever made. The acting is exceptional, with Jim Carrey delivering a series of wonderfully executed, superbly "evil", and extremely funny cameos, and with the two teenagers contributing quite outstanding performances. And, the whole "feel" of the film, from its opening "this ain't where you think you are" cartoon sequence to its beautifully executed end titles - so good that they're a work of art in their own right - is extremely clever and tightly controlled.
Difficult to take-in first time around because of the uncomfortable implications of the plot, this is a film that deserves and rewards repeat viewing so that the incredible richness of what's on offer can be fully appreciated. File under: "bizarrely brilliant gothic masterpiece".
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
We rented this film for our 8 and 10 year old boys and we all enjoyed watching it. My 8 year old found it a little scary in places but not too scary. Having a 18 month old in the house we all loved Sunny and her subtitles. I enjoyed this film so much I didn't even mind Jim Carey being in it (I'm not a fan), it helped that he was completely unrecognisable as Count Olaf and it was the child actors who where the star of this film, not Careys usual over-acting. Top marks from all the family.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
i LOVE this fulm!!!=)
this film is sooo good!!! i would recommend it to EVERYONE, little people and adults. it is AMAZING! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dawn Smith
Funny film
Great dvd very funny just as good as the books. would recommend to anyone who likes black comedy. Maybe a bit about the film for those who haven't read the books.
Published 7 months ago by Mrs. Mary Cobain
Funny, harrowing - and THRILLING to the bitter end
If you are over the age of ten and still seek films filled with delightful events, cheery animals that can sing and dance, and happy-ever-after fairy-tale endings then stop reading... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. W. Swales
HILARIOUS!
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS is a hilarious black comedy from the imagination of Lemony Snicket. This film is awesome! Read more
Published 13 months ago by G. Stephenson
A Family Affair To Remember
I'd actually read the entire unfortunate events series,which covers thirteen books in total,all with alliterative titles,aside from the last,which is simply entitled 'the end',... Read more
Published 15 months ago by L. Tait
impressed!
After reading all the books, I had little expectation for this film but I was impressed! Great for all the family.
Published 15 months ago by stacey
A very fortunate film filled with unfortunate events
I have just watched this film and I must say I thought it was very good. Jim Carrey is an amazing actor and he really brings this film to life. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Brillbru
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Rewatching this film recently I realised it was a lot better than I had remembered. In my mind this film was just another vehicle for Jim Carrey's, rather annoying by now, rubber... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Spider Monkey
series of unfortunate events DVD
My mum and dad bought this for my B-day and it didn't come until the Saturday after that! But it came just in time for my birthday party and me and my friends watched it. Read more
Published 17 months ago
Fantastic
Order arrived really quickly and packaged well.
What I got was exactly as stated.
Fantastic.
What I got was exactly as stated.
Fantastic.
Published 19 months ago by BexAK
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