LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
Directed by Brad Silberling
In theatres
(***)
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Written By: John H. Foote
     Though not a great work of fantasy on the level of The Lord of the Rings (2001-2002--2003) or Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2003), Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (known from this point as Lemony Snicket) contains many wondrous moments and even wildly imaginative sequences to entertain the audience. What could have been a great film, a soaring work of inspired imagination is instead just a good one. In the hands of a great director such as Peter Jackson, Tim Burton or Steven Spielberg, this film would have soared; however, Brad Silberling is not a great director. He is a solid, workmanlike filmmaker who gets the job done, but is not somebody I would trust with a film expected to be a work of art.
  
My issue with Silberling here is that he is not entirely sure what sort of film he is supposed to be making. The director is not clear on how nasty the film should be, how frightening, or how happy. This indecision is the difference between great work and work that is merely good.
 
  Based on the books by Daniel Handler, the film is a dark fantasy on the lines of Matilda (1998) or Edward Scissorhands (1990) but I am not sure Silberling was aware he was directing a dark picture. He keeps many the nastier elements of the story, but never seems sure as to what he is doing. I cannot remember a less confident director.
  
The film explores an evil Count’s attempts to get rid of his nephew and nieces and spend their vast fortune. Orphaned after a mysterious fire guts their parents home, the children are taken to live with Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) who makes no bones about the fact he wants them out of the way. Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken) and Sunny (Kara and Shelby Hoffman) seem to be able to function on their own until Olaf comes along and scoops them. He sees them as free labour and access to money, until of course he finds out he cannot touch the funds until the children die. As he plans their demise, he is stripped of being their guardian and they are taken first to Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly) and then to talkative Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep). Despite the fact the children are no longer with him, Olaf does not stop in his dastardly plan to eliminate the children and take possession of their fortune.

   In multiple roles, Jim Carrey is brilliant, obviously relishing portraying Olaf as well as the other roles he sinks his acting teeth into. With each word dripping menace he makes Olaf a truly nasty character, the stuff nightmares are made of. Actors often say the most fun they have is when they are allowed to portray a villain, and Carrey is having a ball here. He also portrays a goofy scientist and seamen, both of whom of course are Olaf in disguise but to Carrey’s credit he portrays them as different characters. It is a wonderful performance and reason enough to see the film. Allowing his energy to be unleashed for the betterment of the character Carrey is simply superb. Carrey also does not shy away from the darker aspects of the character, at one point viciously slapping one of the children!
  
The three youngsters in the film are equally good, particularly Emily Browning as the brainy and detective in training Violet who sees right through the evil Olaf from the very beginning. Liam Aiken, a veteran of many films is fine as the bookworm brother and two twins portray the baby who speaks in squeaks and gibberish strangely understood by their older brother and sister.
  
Meryl Streep is dotty and wonderful as Aunt Josephine, giving the film some gravity and weight. It was great fun watching the normally very serious Streep have such fun with the role.
  
The art direction and wild effects do indeed plunge us into a magical world of the imagination, but never did I believe that this world actually existed. The beauty of The Lord of the Rings films was thatJacksoncreated a world that seemed to exist outside of the movie theatre, as did Chris Columbus with the Harry Potter films. Here there was never any doubt that we were watching a movie and once the film was over so was the fantasy. Silberling cannot prevent the film from veering off a couple of times becoming heavy under its own weight when in fact the better approach was to keep things light, despite the darkness,  and moving all the time. He does not properly balance the fantasy with the shocking realism that sometimes happens throughout the film. People die, children are treated very poorly and often abused and there are people who will do harm to children. While this is portrayed in the film, it does not merge with the film’s more fantastical elements.
  
Edward Scissorhands (1990) was a brilliant creation of dark fantasy but never once does Silberling come close to achieving that. He makes an interesting film, flawed in many places, with a great performance from Jim Carrey.











 
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