Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: December 17, 2004

6.9	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 232 Ratings

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eagleeyevikingOct 5, 2016

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events completely misses the dark tone of its source materials although Jim Carrey is terrific as Count Olaf and the visuals are brilliant. 5.5/10

7 of 7 users found this helpful70

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CRLAug 27, 2011

There really is no reason that this movie shouldn't be an 8, 9, or even a 10. The acting is great, and Jim Carey makes a perfect Count Olaf. The plot follows the first three books pretty well... while admittedly pulling an ending from oneThere really is no reason that this movie shouldn't be an 8, 9, or even a 10. The acting is great, and Jim Carey makes a perfect Count Olaf. The plot follows the first three books pretty well... while admittedly pulling an ending from one and sticking it on another to give the movie a real ending. The script is good. The cinematography is good. It's just... there's something that existed in the books that the movie failed to recreate. Maybe it's simply the fact that it's a visual experience instead of a mental one, and in that light everything 'unfortunate' happening to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny seems almost cruel when it's mean to be darkly humorous. The books were a comedy. The movie plays more like a drama, and that's it's weakness. It doesn't embrace the weirdness that Snicket embodies so well in his books, instead trying to play off of it for suspense, which ultimately ends in the near-waste of a talented cast and wonderful plot.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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PaxsterOct 17, 2010

It was a little better than Ok but it isn't the first kids film I think of when I'm feeling nostaligic. The children are quite weak and I'd prefer to read the books. The whole thing did the job but it wasn't anything to rant and rave about.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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asylumspadezNov 20, 2011

Cramming 3 books into 1 short film isnt a good idea, Especially when Lemony Snicket books are filled with countless details that the film left out. The cast was good and Jim Carrey is at his best in this film. I was a huge fan of the booksCramming 3 books into 1 short film isnt a good idea, Especially when Lemony Snicket books are filled with countless details that the film left out. The cast was good and Jim Carrey is at his best in this film. I was a huge fan of the books and I was excited for this film but it was just a major disapointment.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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spadenxJan 1, 2012

It was decent but the huge flaw of this film is that they tried to cram 3 books into one short film and they left out so much because of it as well. Jim Carrey was amazing in it and he was perfect for the part imo and he definently made itIt was decent but the huge flaw of this film is that they tried to cram 3 books into one short film and they left out so much because of it as well. Jim Carrey was amazing in it and he was perfect for the part imo and he definently made it worth watching for him alone. It was ok but not as good asit could have been.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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Sosmooth1982Jan 3, 2023

Weird movie. Not a good movie or a bad movie. I guess you will just have to watch it yourself. It could have been a lot better of a movie.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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YellowKirbyNov 30, 2015

While certainly enjoyable, most of this movie is quite forgettable, and Jim Carrey was the only thing really carrying the movie (and of course, the few minutes we got of Meryl Streep).

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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grandpajoe6191Oct 23, 2011

"A Series of Unfortunate Events" is a decent kid-block buster with a average story line with a monotonous tone. But as always, its Jim Carrey (the veteran actor) the saves the screen.

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

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kw36Mar 5, 2014

This is a movie for all ages. Jim Carey is amazing in this film and shows his comedic range as an actor. Only negative is the length of the movie. I realize that it can be no other way, but just feels stretched and after a while a little boring.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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FilipeNetoApr 28, 2018

This film tries to adapt an infantile-juvenile story developed in several books, about the Baudelaire Orphans and the way they end up being persecuted by a distant relative, the theatrical Conde Olaf, that tries at all cost to be tutor soThis film tries to adapt an infantile-juvenile story developed in several books, about the Baudelaire Orphans and the way they end up being persecuted by a distant relative, the theatrical Conde Olaf, that tries at all cost to be tutor so that he control the immense fortune that they are sole heirs. The main roles are embodied by Liam Aiken, Emily Browning and Jim Carrey but the supporting cast features Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly and Meryl Streep, among others. One of the things I noticed is that this film tells a story virtually unknown outside the universe of English literature. I've never heard of these books until I watch the movie, and even today I do not know if they're translated into Portuguese. I also got the feeling that the movie is an "unfinished work", in the sense that it was planned to end the story with a sequel that was never made.

The film does not seem to make sense, but I do not know if this is intentional and already part of the books, or if it was a conscious (and bad) option of the director and the writer. The truth is that this non-sense makes it difficult to understand, mainly for adult audiences. The film also has another problem, which may also result from an intentional choice by the director: the theatrical interpretation of much of the cast. I do not know if it was meant to play with it, making it an additional joke but it turned out badly. Jim Carrey is the only one who we tolerate these exaggerations because we are already used to his hyperactive way of doing comedy. Emily Browning is the most pleasant surprise. For such a young actress, she did a very professional job, promising a good career if the young woman stayed on the rails and strive. The film bets heavily on the CGI and this ends up being a double-edged sword because, if in a way allowed another type of jokes and scenes, on the other hand it ended up visually saturating the film. One thing I liked very much, though the majority did not care, were the final credits, elaborated in a very funny way.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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TyranianApr 11, 2019

Carrey is excellent but whenever he's away it drags. Some good visuals and decently written.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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JohnR.Dec 4, 2005

Jim Carey, like Robin Williams, is best when constrained by the director. Brad Silberling gives him his head and what could have been a super movie turns second-rate. A send-up of a caricature of a grotesque. Your initials may be JC but this Jim Carey, like Robin Williams, is best when constrained by the director. Brad Silberling gives him his head and what could have been a super movie turns second-rate. A send-up of a caricature of a grotesque. Your initials may be JC but this film is not all about you.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

lizkMar 14, 2005

It was a nice moive because i read all the books so i understood it, but when i asked my dad if he liked it he said it had to many holes and it made him feel like he would not like the books! please do not see it if you have not read the It was a nice moive because i read all the books so i understood it, but when i asked my dad if he liked it he said it had to many holes and it made him feel like he would not like the books! please do not see it if you have not read the books and if you have prepare to be dissapointed!!!… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

RayzorMooseNov 13, 2013

A Series of Unfortunate Events is how it sounds.
With somewhat of a hodgepodge of the first three books in the series. A Series of Unfortunate Events fails to capture the eyes of its book readers but is successful in being entertaining withA Series of Unfortunate Events is how it sounds.
With somewhat of a hodgepodge of the first three books in the series. A Series of Unfortunate Events fails to capture the eyes of its book readers but is successful in being entertaining with a great Jim Carey performance; despite its monotonous pacing.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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HeatherC135Apr 2, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ok... where do I even start...?! Klaus didn’t wear glasses like at all, and why exactly is Violet wearing black? I personally love the dress design but why black? Also, I feel like the Boudelaires’ costumes didn’t match the time period that the movie was placed in. In addition, the movie only covered The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window, which are only the three books from a thirteen book series that the movie completely left out. The books that the movie did not include are: The Miserable Mill, The Austere Academy, The Etraz Elevator, The Vile Village, The Hostile Hospital, The Carnivorous Carnival, The Slippery Slope, The Grimm Grotto, The Penultimate Peril, and The End. If you are going to make a movie about a novel series, at least cover more than 1/4 of the series. Also, they misplaced parts of the plot. They put “The Marvelous Marriage” as the last part in the movie, despite it being the last part in book one, which is the first third of the movie. They did not show the Boudelaires going through Hurricane Herman to Curdled Cave, they actually did not showcase the Hurricane happening at all. I have read the whole book series multiple times, watched the whole series, and now have watched the movie. And I have to say, the movie was disappointing. It did not pay tribute to the wonderful childhood book series that we all know and love. Any of you reading this, watch the series on Netflix instead, please. It is more accurate, it reflects the books better, the actors are better and are more like the characters in the books, the costumes and the time period go together, and the series covers all of the books. Other than a few minor changes, like using Aunt Josephine’s shawl instead of her hair net, it is spot on for book to show comparison.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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