Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Details

Harry Potter's literary rival Lemony Snicket hits the big screen with this visually inspired adaptation that combines the first three titles in the bestselling series. A darkly humorous gothic fantasy, it unfolds like a Grimm fairy tale as imagined by Tim Burton. In another of his wildly over-the-top performances, Jim Carrey is the evil Count Olaf, an actor and master of disguise who's on a murderous mission to swindle three orphaned siblings out of their family fortune. Although Carrey disappoints, coming across as more silly than sinister, the children are fabulous. As they encounter everything from man-eating leeches to falling fridges, they demonstrate real talent and charm, with the toddler twins playing the youngest Baudelaire offspring a particular delight. Ultimately the flawed feature lacks the depth and thrills of the Potter franchise, but, thanks to its quirkiness and whimsical Victorian styling, the film's still an enjoyable affair.

A dark fantasy that is often scary and frequently amusing; it teeters on the edge of being a classic family movie of an eccentric kind, but a disjointed rhythm and Carrey's pantomine villain count against it.