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Movies / On DVD / Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

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Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

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Reviews Counted:151

Fresh:107

Rotten:44

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: The film adaptation of the popular books is winning raves for its set design and a wry comic charm that mitigates some morbid images. However, some have panned the film as smug and overcooked.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] or thematic elements, scary situations and brief language.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:17-12-2004

Synopsis: Directed by Brad Siberling, LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS follows the Baudelaire orphans--Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and baby Sunny (played by twins Kara and... Directed by Brad Siberling, LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS follows the Baudelaire orphans--Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and baby Sunny (played by twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman)--as they are followed by the wicked Count Olaf (Jim Carrey). A distant relative and an awful actor, Olaf is determined to claim the fortune willed to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, whose parents died in a mysterious fire. Enigmatic author Lemony Snicket (Jude Law) recounts the adventures of the three children as they change hands from the conniving Olaf to the reptile-loving Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly) to Aunt Josephine (Meryl Steep), who lives in fear of just about everything. An adaptation that condenses the first three books in the series--THE BAD BEGINNING, THE REPTILE ROOM, and THE WIDE WINDOW--into one installment, the film captures the darkly humorous tone of the popular children's novels by Lemony Snicket (AKA Daniel Handler). Carrey clearly has fun with his intentionally over-the-top role as the villain, while the young actors embody their resourceful characters wonderfully. The true star of the film, however, may be the production design of Rick Heinrichs (SLEEPY HOLLOW), which creates a visually stunning world filled with gothic mansions and ramshackle houses. By keeping the heart of the eccentric books intact, A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS proves to be an usually inventive and quirky Hollywood film. [More]

Starring: Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Jude Law, Billy Connolly

Starring: Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, Jude Law, Billy Connolly, Liam Aiken, Kara Hoffman, Shelby Hoffman, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Jane Adams, Jennifer Coolidge, Luis Guzman, Jamie Harris, Craig Ferguson, Cedric the Entertainer, Dustin Hoffman

Director: Brad Siberling

Director: Brad Siberling
Screenwriter: Robert Gordon
Composer: Thomas Newman
Producer: Scott Aversano
Studio: Paramount Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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It's all a bit superficial, but highly entertaining, wickedly funny, and alluring enough to make you want to start reading the books.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If you sit back, relax and just accept it for what it is -- an enjoyable, escapist Gothic pantomime -- you will go home happy.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Caroline Westbrook
Caroline Westbrook
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The main blight on the festivities is that, as always, Hollywood can't resist adding a little uplift.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
03/07/05
Robert Hanks
Robert Hanks
Independent

This is a beautifully designed, impressively directed film with exciting action sequences and terrific comic performances from its cast.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
12/18/04
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Entertaining, but far too cute

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/16/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

It's utterly devoid of suspense.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/14/04
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Wonderfully executed, brilliantly cast and almost perfectly Potter-beating. If only it weren't for Jim Carrey...

Full Review Source: FilmFocus | comment Comment
12/12/04
Joe Utichi
Joe Utichi
FilmFocus
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/27/09
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

A dastardly unadulterated delight of a film.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
11/20/08
Kit Bowen
Kit Bowen
Hollywood.com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/27/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

full review in Greek

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
10/03/06
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

We can be grateful that the series has given Carrey one of his better vehicles in recent years, and that Carrey has risen to the occasion so well.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/27/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today

...Carrey delivers a broad performance that's more distracting than anything else.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
12/31/05
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

Successful in kicking off a largely amusing and visually engaging franchise.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat

A sick joke of a film that realizes the best children's entertainment doesn't hide from the bleaker side of life, but plunges into the void and respects kids enough to assume they can handle it.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

...recognizes that it’s okay to present scariness, gloominess and sadness, as long as you present strong, pure hearted children whose inherent cleverness cuts through it all.

Full Review Source: www.kcactive.com | comment Comment
07/25/05
Uri Lessing
Uri Lessing
www.kcactive.com

Not many children’s movies center on recently orphaned children delivered to the home of a homicidal thespian. Then again, not many children’s movies are as good as this one.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
06/02/05
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Charming and sly right at the beginning.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/10/05
Rory L. Aronsky
Rory L. Aronsky
Film Threat

A phantasmagoric family film with both bite and heart.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
05/04/05
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

'Inteligente, divertida y arriesgada en su propuesta visual y temática, es una aventura que no se pueden perder'

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
04/04/05
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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