Movie Review: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Rated by 2 members
Some adults are genuinely horrified by the unabashedly creepy people in these books. It is disturbing to think of any children, even imaginary ones, being subjected to abuse. But Snicket's talent is in understanding his audience better than anyone past the age of 12 usually can. Watch how careful he is to create an atmosphere of menace while leaving what is, if you look for it, a very reassuring zone of protection around the children. Other than one slap, the children are never touched and they never appear to be rattled or upset. The very presence of the narrator itself adds a comfortable distance. And it is always clear that if the solution isn't found in one of Violet's inventions or Klaus' extensive knowledge from books, Sunny's powerful teeth will save the day.
Family responses to this movie will depend on their taste for macabre humor. Those who are not intrigued and entertained by the grotesque storyline may find it disturbing. Fans of the book will enjoy seeing the characters and settings brought to life with great imagination and verve, though putting three books into one movie makes it episodic and draggy around the middle. The art direction is superb and the performances by both children and adults are excellent. The weakest part of the movie is the subtitles that interpret Sunny's babbling. The cheap humor and crude language is utterly out of tone with the rest of the film.
Parents need to know that the movie may be upsetting to some children. The children in the movie are orphans who are continuously mistreated. There are constant scenes of peril and tension; though most of the violence is offscreen, we see the aftermath. An adult strikes a child and there are other assaults and murders and an apparent suicide. There is one scary surprise and several shots of creepy creatures, including rats, bugs, bats, and snakes. Some children will understand that this is intended as macabre humor but others will not, so parents should be particularly cautious about deciding whether the film is appropriate for their children. Other parental concerns include some very crude language "said" by a baby ("shmuck," "bite me"), and a forced marriage with a 14-year-old (predatory, but only with regard to her money).
Families who see this movie could talk about how we learn to respond to the unexpected, and the importance of having a Plan B (and Plans C through Z). Some children will want to be reassured about who their guardians would be if something happens to their own parents. And families could talk about what messages they would want to read in a letter like the one from the Baudelaire parents and why books with such terrible abuse are so popular with kids.
Families who enjoy this movie may also enjoy The Addams Family and Addams Family Values and Beetlejuice (all with more mature material than this film).
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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