Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events on DVD.

There is kind of an unwritten rule when it comes to storytelling. It goes along the lines that you can do really terrible things to children as long as everything works out for them in the end.

Yeah, sure, kill their parents. Give them a disease. Steal their dog. Whatever you want, but you had better close things up with a new guardian, a miracle cure and Fluffy reunited.

Daniel Handler, or Lemony Snicket as he is also known, tosses this bit of foolery aside. After all, in the real world things don't always end up the way we hope they should.

And so it is with the Baudelaire children. About five minutes into the movie they become the Baudelaire orphans and that is just the beginning of their suffering.

Unfamiliar with the books on which the movie is based, I did a little background research first. The books, it turns out, are so dreary that the author wrote a warning for the first book's jacket telling people that they probably wouldn't like it. A similar warning begins the film.

And those who go in looking for the classic formula based on the rule that everything works out in the end probably won't like this movie. I've also heard from ardent fans of the books who feel slighted by the movie, but that always happens when a treasured book is adapted for film.

For all its darkness and variation from the source material, screenwriter Robert Gordon and director Brad Silberling have created a film gem worthy of much praise.

What is immediately noticeable about the film is its palate. The grey-blue hues used create a somber watercolor effect that instantly sets the mood for the rest of the unfortunate events.

The movie was also made on more than 70 sets with the end result being an incredibly deep world. We get to see big cities, country estates and even a house by the sea. Each setting is unique and builds onto the underlying theme that bad things can happen anywhere.

Another plus for the movie is the acting. From what I could learn before seeing the movie, Count Olaf, the principle villain, is a self-absorbed actor of limited talent who makes up for his lack of skill with by going over-the-top with his performances.
And so casting Jim Carrey to play him was a perfect choice. Carrey, who has shown his ability to go too far in countless performances, is given free reign to kick it up a notch and go for broke here. In a rare turn as a villain, Carrey is wholly evil, but somehow tragic at the same time.

I think this could be a bit of prejudice on my part however. I always felt sorry for Wyle E. Coyote and wished just once his plans, so carefully laid, would work out. And so it is with Olaf, who schemes and plots only to have victory snatched away time and again by three unusually bright and resourceful children.

Those children, played by Emily Browning, Liam Aiken and twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman, are an interesting group. Violet can invent nearly anything, Klaus has an encyclopedic knowledge and Sunny can communicate through a language all her own and has the ability to chew through a good many things.

Browning and Aiken in particular show promise as young actors and I look forward to seeing them return for the sequels. Their performances here are better than those of their Harry Potter counterparts and if they can show similar improvements through the franchise they should be accomplished actors by its conclusion.

The bottom line: This is a very dark movie with no happy ending. It is, however, filled with stunning imagery and quality acting that make it a more than enjoyable film.

Rated PG for thematic elements, scary situations and brief language.

Starring:
Jim Carrey as Count Olaf
Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine
Jude Law as Lemony Snicket (voice)
Emily Browning as Violet Baudelaire
Liam Aiken as Klaus Baudelaire
Kara Hoffman as Sunny Baudelaire
Shelby Hoffman as Sunny Baudelaire
Timothy Spall as Mr. Poe
Billy Connolly as Uncle Monty

Directed by Brad Silberling

Screenplay by Robert Gordon based on the novels of Daniel Handler