Much credit for this delightfully morose children's film must go to director Brad Silberling's careful orchestration. Please note, in the vocabulary-building spirit of the Snicket books, that the word "orchestration'' here means "coaxing good performances out of child actors and keeping Jim Carrey in check.''
This will always be one of my favourite films. It came out the year I was born and I watched it over and over when I was a child. Jim carry did an amazing job as usual and the film is a good laugh. Billie Colloney was also amazing as usual. The acting was great and it's also great that the film is extremely accurate to the first 3 books in which this film is based on.
This is a very quirky and vivid comedy/fantasy film. The adult characters are quite exaggerated, in terms of their facial expressions, their demeanour, body language and so on.
It is quite creepy in nature, so although it only carries a PG rating, it may seem slightly scary for especially young viewers. The plot is quite creepy for one thing, with the children continually running in to the ****, villainous uncle Olaf, them continually warning people to be wary of his identity but not listened to and so on. There is mention of a suicide note and many scenes are in (lighting wise) quite dark or stormy surroundings, so, while this is marketed as a family film and doesn't feature any explicit language or graphic violence, I would certainly exercise caution before showing it to younger children. I felt it was quite an immersive film, in as much as the cinematography was very impressive and the mix of the visual effects (with depictions of dingy, cold, creepy caves and large, domineering and old houses) and the instrumental musical score/soundtrack really added to the atmosphere. I felt it was perhaps a bit like a childs fairy tale only perhaps a bit more dark and (obviously) having been brought to life on TV/DVD. There is an element of poignancy to it - particularly in the ending. I should add that there is a narrator present, although his dialogue is sparse and only heard a few times but yet he is crucial, in that he introduces the viewer to the characters (the children) explaining the background to the plot and so on. The narrator appears on screen but only ever as a shadow or silhouette, so we can't put a face to him. I suppose you could say thats a theme throughout, identifying who people really are, who are the ones that (attempt to) shape their future and the consequences of such.
Cast wise, the villain (uncle Olaf) is played by Jim Carrey, giving one of his usual rubbery-faced style comic performances as an evil selfish plot-doer - think along the lines of The Grinch, in which he also played the lead role. Also present is Timothy Spall, who plays the more caring Mr. Poe, while Billy Connolly plays Uncle Monty. I feel like Connolly and Carrey would (potentially) make a good double act but thats just a random thought. Meryl Streep plays one of the childrens guardians, aunt Josephine, who has a peculiar set of fears - seeming quite regal and intellectual, while also clearly troubled.
I won't spoil the ending by saying what happens but I did feel that one or two quite nice points were made via the narrator towards the end. I wouldn't say its by any means sickly sweet - infact at the very start of the film, the narrator warns that this is no 'happy little elf' cartoon film, so count yourself warned. However, content wise, as mentioned earlier, there is no graphic violence or other explicit content, so while its quite spooky and perhaps unsettling, it doesn't have a minimum age rating (being rated PG).
Yes I'd recommend this film, as I found it to be quite immersive, with good, slightly creepy cinemtaography, some poignancy, interesting characters and a curious plot. Its perhaps not entirely original but its certainly an entertaining watch and one that is suitable for most of the family.
In time, Carrey's monkeyshines, Jude Law's silhouetted reappearances as Snicket, and the inevitable descent of Beverly Hills pathos blunt the movie's fastidious dark-carnival humor.
I walked out of it feeling much the same way I did after "The Cat in the Hat" and "The Polar Express" -- jarred by its excess, undernourished by its lack of heart and bored by its lack of originality.
hala çok iyi. atmosfer ortam, her şeyin kullanılması, basit ama etkili aletler, aktörler aktrisler her şey. dizisinden daha iyi zira dizisinde akıl oyunları bir kenara atılıyor bir noktadan sonra.
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).
A disappointment of a movie. Squishing in 3 books into a short run time never bodes well. Looking forward to the new netflix series which can give the amount of detail and love this series deserves to have.
This is one of my most hated movies. It struggles immensely to justify any of its comedy. It's frightening to see Jim Carrey attempt dark humour, and the plot is incredibly boring and monotone. The thick depressing notions keep pushing and pushing against its fake child themes and target audience leaving you confused and upset.
Production Company
Paramount Pictures,
Dreamworks Pictures,
Nickelodeon Movies,
Kumar Mobiliengesellschaft mbH & Co. Projekt Nr. 2 KG,
Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation,
Scott Rudin Productions