“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” opens on a fire. Brad Silberling directed the 2004 film from a Robert Gordon screenplay, and it runs 108 minutes. The tagline promises “Mishaps. Misadventures. Mayhem. Oh joy.”
The story is simple and grim. Three wealthy children lose their parents in a fire. They are sent to a distant relative. That relative, Count Olaf, is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.
Trailer, via YouTube Movies.
Emily Browning, Liam Aiken, and the Baudelaire Orphans
Emily Browning plays Violet Baudelaire. Liam Aiken plays Klaus Baudelaire. Kara Hoffman and Shelby Hoffman share the role of Sunny. They are appealing performers.
Jim Carrey plays Count Olaf, and he plays him three ways: Count Olaf, Dr. Stephano, and Captain Sham. Carrey is the whole weather system of this film. When he is on screen, the movie is a live wire. When he is not, it sags.
That is the central problem. The children are the emotional center, but the film keeps pulling focus. Violet and Klaus are clever, resourceful, and sad. The movie rarely sits still long enough to let any of that land.
Timothy Spall, Meryl Streep, and Billy Connolly
The adults are a rogues’ gallery. Timothy Spall plays Mr. Poe, the banker who keeps handing the children off to guardians. Meryl Streep plays Aunt Josephine. Billy Connolly plays Uncle Monty. Catherine O’Hara plays Justice Strauss. Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Adams play the White-Faced Women.
That is a remarkable cast for a family adventure. Streep and Connolly get a scene or two of real flavor before the plot moves on. The movie is always moving on.
Jude Law narrates as Lemony Snicket, the melancholy author who keeps warning you to put the book down. Law’s delivery is dry and precise.
Six Hub Areas and a Burning Glass
The same year, a video game adaptation arrived. The game is an action-adventure title. Players take the roles of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, solving puzzles, fighting villains, and finding objects.
The game breaks into six consecutive hub areas rather than stages. It mixes platformer, puzzle game, and third-person shooter elements. Players cycle through the Baudelaires depending on the version. Sunny gets 2.5D platforming mini-stages of her own.
The game’s final stage has the player, as Klaus, using burning glass to burn Count Olaf and Violet’s marriage certificate. That is the game’s ending, not the film’s.
Here is how the two versions line up:
| Element | 2004 Film | 2004 Video Game |
|---|---|---|
| Lead roles | Violet, Klaus, Sunny | Violet, Klaus, Sunny |
| Count Olaf | Jim Carrey | Jim Carrey (reprise) |
| Lemony Snicket | Jude Law | Tim Curry |
| Structure | Feature film | Six hub areas |
| Core activity | Watching the plot | Puzzles, platforming, combat |
The game’s ammunition is a telling detail. Players fire rotten eggs, Gummy Bears, bees, eau de toilette, and garlic. That is a specific, silly register.
What the Film Gets From the Cast
Carrey is the reason to watch, and he is also the reason the movie wobbles. His Count Olaf is vain and theatrical.
The film needs him to be scary and funny at once. It usually settles for funny.
Jude Law’s Snicket is the best-built element of the film. It gives the whole thing a spine it otherwise lacks.
Where the Movie Loses Its Footing
The film has a great villain, a great narrator, and a great cast surrounding two appealing young leads. It does not have a clear idea of what it is.
The published critical score for this film sits at 6.2/10, and that feels right. It is not a disaster. It is a near-miss with a great cast and a muddled heart.
Families will find things to like. Fans of the books will find things to miss.
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