Why A Series of Unfortunate Events is Better Than You Remember
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
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Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was a great series of books that has now been adapted to the screen multiple times. The 2004 film, starring Jim Carrey, is definitely the least-loved version. In this video, I talk about what I think works about the movie, and why I think it is worth a second look.
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Special thanks to Andrew Elliott (Stalli111: / stalli111 ) for editing this video!
What do you think of the 2004 Series of Unfortunate Events?
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U haven't even watched the video chill
I like the humor and even though it's not super accurate to the books (which the Netflix adaptation did fantastically) it holds it's own.
Do a review of Falcon And The Winter Soldier
I really don’t like the 2004 movie. Feels too cartoonish to me, especially Carrey’s performance. Good to hear different opinions though!
I thought the movie was ok, but I thought the netflix show was way better.
The reason why Klaus didn’t have glasses was because he would look like Harry Potter too much - and ironically, Liam Aiken originally had the title role until the author said she wanted Brits to play the characters
I always thought it was a British series when i was younger because of the cast.
Good thing they didnt adapt the miserable mill because the whole plot is predicated on Klaus having glasses. They would be fucked.
That makes sense. I didn’t know that. That’s a cool fact! Thx 🙏🏻 ☺️
@@angusmarch1066 True, but they could always say his eyes are starting to go bad - I was around his age when I needed glasses.
@@theblackswordsman9951well not shit Sherlock.
"Yes, roast beef. It's the Swedish term for beef that is roasted."
Me as a Swede: WFT
@@DarthKay093 what fuck the?
This movie is so quotable lol
@@DarthKay093what fhe thuck?
As much as the tv show was technically more faithful, the movie felt like it actually captured to the spirit of the books in such a special way
I remember being terrified of Jim Carrey's Olaf, especially with the train sequence. He was absolutely content, almost friendly to the shopkeeper while waiting for the train. The new series was alright, it was better adapted than the movie, but it didn't have as good an atmosphere which really hurt it. It felt "bubbly," I'd say for no better word, despite the show's Olaf doing far more vile acts than the movies. He fucking chased them with a knife in the third episode and it just felt like a looney toons skit. Compare that to Carrey rocking in the chair just out of sight, waiting, taunting them with a faint reflection of silver. The movie hit better in that aspect.
omg yes!!!!!!!!!
@@SCIFIguy64 the new series felt almost like a Wes Anderson movie? Yeah, it didn't capture the darkness for me
@@SCIFIguy64 Thank you for mentioning how it looked like a Looney Toons skit. I'm here watching to get a better opinion about the movie as I haven't read the books as a kid and the series itself made me desperate to stay away from it. The TV series made my blood boil, like the guy from the bank who takes them to a new guardian every time just felt so incredibly stupid, and thanks to your comment it finally clicked. He was behaving like one of those super oblivious and dumb characters in a cartoon rather then just a normal, not the brightest tool in the box guy. His dense behavior amongst things got so much on my nerves, because I was expecting a realistic but dark show that was based on a book series, yet instead it felt like a horrible life action dark comedy of what used to be a cartoon show.
I think it was that never really feeling like you succeeded feeling. Like he's always looming
When I was a kid, the sequence of the kids figuring out how to divert an oncoming train from a locked car was one of the most exciting things I’d ever witnessed
That scene put me off the movie. But I guess in some way, it was a good idea to do it because it meant readers had something they could be invested in because they didn't know how the kids would get out of it.
Jim Carrey’s Olaf is funny around everyone else, but scary when he’s alone with the kids.
His acting troupe also was really effective for that. I really got the presence of like...your neighbour's mean alcoholic friends.
Just like my uncle
I swear I've seen this comment before
@@HipsterDog-do3mm I posted the same comment on Nostalgia Critic's review of this movie.
I laughed to tears when i was a kid watching this movie for the first time because of Olaf's idiosyncrasies
To this day when I see words like “penultimate” and “denouement” I remember the exact definitions Lemony Snicket gave in the books. They are embedded in my brain.
He had such a unique writing style that really helps younger readers expand into more advanced literature by explaining idioms and words in a respectable way. I don't remember any condescending attitude from his definitions, and the overall narration style clicked with me in a way that expanded into personal writing. Dead-pan lines, explaining things sardonically, and details that shouldn't matter but do anyways.
Don't forget Ersatz
When do you ever see those words. You don't.
@@Easy420skate The word “penultimate,” is everywhere, dude.
@@MattyDins No it isnt lmfao
I'll give the movie one thing: That end credits sequence is Absolutely incredible. That haunting, hypnotic music playing over the stick puppet style animation is something I always stick around for.
The entire movie is absolutely stunning to look at.
“i was more of a Lemony Snicket kid than a Harry Potter kid”
you just summed up my whole childhood in one eloquent sentence
I was both. I read Harry Potter after I got so depressed after reading The Slippery Slope.
I read Harry Potter and I watched the series of unfortunate events movie. My friend read the books but I never really thought it was for me even though I enjoyed the movie a fair amount
I read and enjoyed both a lot, but Lemony Snicket is definitely my favourite. I love the writing style and the moral ambiguity.
Also the ASOUE movie is always called bad, but the Harry Potter movies weren't great either imo
same, to me harry potter was kinda boring after the third book
That Netflix series was fire 🔥 glad they got to go through the whole story!! The 2004 movie was amazing too heavily underrated.
Didn't realise it existed, straight off to download the 1st episode, cheers.
I do prefer NPH. Him chewing the scenery in the Netflix series is fabulous.
I agree.
I loved this series, I wanted more
@@Whalewraith hey, have fun! ☺️
I remember one of the bloopers featured the Beaudelaires and Aunt Josephene doing the cucumber soup scene, only as it went on, one of the twin girls playing Sunny fell asleep. The take stops when everyone finally notices, and their reactions were very adorable and sweet: Emily Browning (Violet) tries tickling her awake while talking in baby talk, Liam Aiken (Klaus) had a bashful smile, and Meryl Streep (Aunt Josephene) was cooing "Hello Sleepy Peep."
It’s definitely one of my favorite outtakes!!
hello! i just wanted to hop in to clarify something, Midnight mentions that the idea that Olaf in the film is subjected to all the obstacles the Children had to endure felt tacked on, which i would agree, but infact it didn't actually happen in the film, Snicket literally says after showing all of those scenes that 'if only that were true' and explained that Olaf had skipped town before the Trial, its super easy to miss but i just thought i'd clarify!
Thanks. Can't believe I missed this!
Just about to write that
I'm pretty sure that the reason in the movie he didn't have to do that was because "his sentence was overturned by a jury of his peers" rather than him just skipping town before the trial.
@@TenebraeXVII your right! i rewatched soon after i left the comment! and honestly thats probably more tragic story wise! i just felt like the point had been made yknow? XD
Oddly enough I also didnt like this scene as a kid for the same reasons as captainmidnights, and it wasnt till I rewatched not long ago that I noticed that last line that changed everything.
Jim Carrey's performance in this movie brings me immense joy.
Also check out jim carrey other performance in The Shining
And dread... that “hall pass” scene, man...
@@hellfish2309 Oh, yeah...that.
@@chupacadabra5161 like “I don’t have to ‘do’ anything; just sit here and menace” ... 😧
@@hellfish2309 It was incredible how hilarious and terrifying he could be.
The mystery and aesthetic of this movie made it one of my favorites as a kid. I would sit for hours and think about the lost secrets and information lost to fire or houses falling off cliffs
those books are just so FUN to read...sentences almost written like puzzles. jokes made using alliteration and diction and syntax. you'd think books like that would be difficult to adapt and still be fun. especially with such a tragic story about abuse and neglect. yet both adaptions do a REALLY good job. the tone is so specific and could have easily been made too dark or too light and it's honestly impressive that they're both so good.
It’s sad that people. Who’ve seen the series haven’t read the books.
@@fangirldreamer748 I have seen the movie and read the books, I greatly enjoyed them. I hated the Netflix series.
@@karenstrong6734 same here! 🥰
@@karenstrong6734 That's baffling to me. We love the books and the Netflix series and hated the Movie LOL
@@fangirldreamer748 I didn't read the books til after the Netflix series. Enjoyed all 3 versions.
A series of unfortunate events is the most underrated modern children’s series don’t @ me
The Edge Chronicles?
What about Pendragon
Tales of Deltora was pretty fucking lit
@@thelegendofrosetyler it’s definitely pendragon. I’m still upset they never made any movies or series out of it. Probably because all the crazy different territories they go to and would be expensive. But I’ve always wanted to see it on screen. Especially that ending reveal with Mark and Bobby.
@@theBOSpaladin101 same, it was probably one of my favorite series I read as a kid and one of the few I still remember. I remember the ocean one and the jungle were my two favorites and I would have loved to see it re-imagined on screen.
That line about you being a Lemony Snicket kid than a Harry Potter kid was me in a nutshell. I didn't wanna read, but I got the first 3 books, and ended up adoring them. Read them all, but pretty vague on the details.The movie was REALLY solid, but combing the first three books, and making The Bad Beginning the first section and plus the original train sequence bugged me, but in hindsight, it was for the best, because those books always had downer endings.
What you said about the cast was spot on, no matter what Carey rightfully steals the show, and i never thought Emily Browning would take off as she did. From this, the Uninvited, Sucker Punch, American Gods, that Sleeping Beauty movie and a bunch of other movies were she's always in the buff, she's had a steady career.
Haven't seen most of the new series, but has good reviews, so i'm happy a complete version is iut there, but I have say two things to close out on:
The movie game was honestly freakin' rad! I beat it on the PS2, and Tim Curry was Lemony Snicket, so that's a win, and the Thomas Newman score, especially the end credits "Driving Away" is some of his best work, I still have it in my music library.
But didn't most of Emily's movies bomb? Her career never really took off as it should have. Plus I have no issues of her getting naked in movies.
@@prathapkutty7407 yeah.. most of her stuff did bomb... But she always chose really interesting characters to play.
I heard she never really wanted to be in the spotlight. She loved acting but didn't want to be a star.
She was Stephanie Meyer's perfect Bella, but Emily turned it down. Whether we like Twilight or not, if she was Bella, she would have been a bigger star than she is today... And she probably would be unhappy about that.
I too related to his circumstances as a kid. I was sucked in from the very first sentence of Bad Beginning lol. The first book I bought the day it released was the Carnivorous Carnival though, not the Slippery Slope.
Yes! I never got into Harry Potter as a kid, but Lemony Snicket was my jam, haha.
@@Brenda-cg1px ASUE is definitely one of the most important series for every kid who had Christian parents. I couldn't watch/read Harry Potter because my mom thought it was the usual "work of the devil" lol. ASUE showed, with brutal irony, how parents are often insane, profoundly stupid and incapable of allowing some kids to have a normal life. And it showed how many kids can be smarter, and accept the world as more than black or white. I'm not sure if ASUE told this message than other series, because the Bible is the only book that is legal in Canada/US according to half the population. Either way, it changed my life.
Liam Aiken probably didn't get glasses to portray his character of Klaus to further him away from the similar book and screen looks of Harry Potter. 🤓
This is exactly the reason, because in 2004 Harry Potter was big shit. Another kids novel adapted into a movie would feel like a cash grab if another young boy with dark hair and glasses was featured.
Coincidentally, Liam Aiken originally beat Daniel Radcliffe for the role of Harry Potter. He had to fake a British accent because the studio only wanted British kids for the roles. Unfortunately for Liam, the casting directors heard him speaking in his natural accent the next day and Daniel, the runner-up, got the part.
@@polyhymnia701 Wow! How weird is that? Just imagine the Harry Potter franchise if Liam Aiken got the part instead of Daniel Radcliffe! I think that the that time Liam Aiken did favor the book version of Harry Potter than Daniel Radcliffe. 😯
Maybe Liam Aiken should have stuck with the British accent until he or his parents signed the contract. 😏
@@SCIFIguy64 Exactly
@@polyhymnia701 I heard somewhere that Chris Columbus (in which he previously worked with) wanted him as Harry but Rowling wanted a British cast so he wasn’t hired. I haven’t heard about him faking the accent though. (Also pardon me if I’m wrong lol but I think that’s what happened)
In the ending, didn't they say the Judge making Olof do all that was just a fantasy? That he had actually escaped custody to search for the siblings in the future (there was a deleted scene on the DVD of his escape as well I remember)
It was an opening for sequels that never came. Although I don't know how the orphans would get to a lumber mill from the court without switching things around a tiny bit.
@@SCIFIguy64 The original sequel script just had them stop at the Lumbermill. The rest of that book would be skipped entirely in favor of doing the next two books.
Yeah, it was...
Kinda makes that scene work better since its makes the audience know something is off...
Apprently the other books after the 3rd one was going to made into film, but the movie was panned by crities and fans and thus the rest of the book was never touch apon.
@@MERCHIODOS From what I've read, critical reception to the film was generally favorable. The exact degree of positivity I am unsure of, but regardless, "generally favorable" is a far cry from "critically panned".
As far as I know, its potential sequel was not canned due to bad reception or any lack of success (and on that note, the movie was indeed a modest box office success), but because corporate shakeups at Paramount (sadly) delayed any possible work long enough that by the time production could begin, the actors for the Baudelaires would be too old to resume their respective roles.
Always loved this movie for correct portrayal of snakes.
"Do you know that snakes are afraid of you more than you are of them? Few people do. When threatened, a snake retreats to place that is quiet, safe... remote. A *sanctuary* where it can feel out of danger. That's why Peru"
I didn’t read the books before seeing the movie, but Count Olaf scared me as a kid. The way he’d go from over the top and silly to threatening (when he tells the kids in the car he’s basically going to track them down and kill them, no matter where they go) haunted more than a few nightmares of mine at the time. He had the charm of a classic Disney villain, and part of the fear of him also came from the fact that the other adults were either stupid or oblivious as hell.
To be fair, the ‘happy’ ending with the Road Runner style was a fake out that was revealed to not be what happened
In the version of the movie I remember seeing, the finale was not happy at all. The narrator started describing Count Olaf receiving these cartoonish punishments, but then concluded it with "If justice were fair" and explained that in reality, the whole sequence is a fakeout and Olaf got away with it all.
i think that was the show
@@Jummmpy I have not seen the show up to that point, and I definitely remember the scene, so it must be in the movie I saw.
I wonder if something happened with different regional versions, like in Clockwork Orange?
@@Jummmpy Here's the part I'm referring to: czcams.com/video/lwhjwPv482A/video.html
This is directly after the "Triumph" scene in which it shows Olaf being made to go through all the hardships he'd caused the Baudelaires before serving a life sentence.
@@Poldovico I know what you were talking about now. I haven't watched either in a while, so my brain mixed them together. it was a mistake on my part
Yeah, and the children going back to their burnt house was really bittersweet for me.
Jim Carey gives 100% in every role he adapts
One could say he "Carey-d" the movie
More like 500%
Even the role of his own life lol
Even if the film sucks.
Tbf, as much as I absolutely LOVE Jim Carrey, he doesn’t have a whole lot of range. 40% of the characters he plays are just his version of the Riddler, (wacky insane bad guy like in the Mask, Sonic, Series of Unfortunate Events, etc.) 30% are his character from Dumb and Dumber, and the last 30% are Truman from the Truman show (wacky dumb dumb with a good heart like Ace Ventura, and his character from Me, Mysef, and Irene). And even those three archetypes of his characters are all extremely similar, just with varying levels of malicious intent and stupidity. Not that Jim himself is stupid, just that he has a tendency to play stupid characters.
This movie actually made me read the novels. I think that says it all.
I wasn't a kid though, but loved it completely. One of my favourite series of novels. Absolutely amazing. The humour, the despair, everything. I even loved the spin-off All the Wrong Questions.
All I know about the movie is the part where Jim Carrey forgets his line and asks for it in character.
Wait, I completely missed that! In which scene is it?
@@joseflachman3154 I'm pretty sure it's when count olaf is meeting the kids or the dinner scene
@@joseflachman3154 klaus: our parents just died
olaf: oh yes of course. how very very awful. no, wait! give me the line again! quickly, while it's fresh in my mind!
klaus: our parents just... died?
olaf: *HAUGH!!*
The bit that made me scared of him was the "do you have a hall pass.... I didn't think so" whilst being seen with a blade in his hand. Think Jim did a FANTASTIC job.
I thought the reason that the ending sequence was so cartoony was because it's revealed that he didn't actually go through all that and is still on the run.
I was so obsessed with these books in middle school. Way more than any other book series. So whenever this movie came out, it was the cinematic event of the decade for me. It was the first time that a book series that i was interested in was adapted into a book.
Thomas Newman’s score in this movie is amazing. Also, I’m gonna say it, I liked this a lot more than the Netflix adaptation. The movie was just more entertaining and I didn’t hate a majority of the characters like I did in the Netflix show.
The movie also looks better..... On a surface level it's already better :/ plus the show's Olaf is derivative from movie Olaf.
Thomas Newman is a GOAT!!
Thank you, I thought I was the only one who hated the Netflix series, I just find it to be disappointing, even though it was faithful to the books. I just couldn’t get into it, I have read all the books and enjoyed them just as I much as like the movie. Also, I find the Netflix series to be watered down and just bright in my opinion.
@@karenstrong6734 It kinda makes the Netflix version look ugly to look at by translating the book's artstyle into live action, which makes wonder why it wasn't an animated series. In animation, you can get away with anything. Not always sometimes, but at least it would have been easy to look at, but in live action, it doesn't work. At least the movie managed to make it's art direction look familiar, but at the same time something different.
I dig the Netflix show, nph is amazing, but....iunno this movie Felt like the books. The series just...kinda tells the story of the books. And well I might add, just not.... something terrific that stands out. This movie succeeded there tho, for sure. And that DVD menus omg so good.
As an adult, jim carreys olaf is a eccentric theatrical dude, as a child, he's a tall creepy EVIL unpredictable stranger nothing short of the bogey man
Exactly.
The biggest problem I had with the Netflix show, and it was actually the reason a friend of mine stopped watching it, it can be TOO farcical. To the point where you're not feeling the tension at all because you know it'll be undercut by a joke or a wink to the audience. The film has ambience, when those violins darkly creep in, there's legitimate dread. Like the scene where Olaf creeps up to kill Uncle Monty is scarier than anything from the Netflix show.
The movie definitely had its charm but I definitely felt it was better adapted as a series. Giving it the chance to be more fleshed out and casting is absolutely amazing as well. Especially love Neil Patrick’s adaptation of Count Olaf, not that I didn’t love Carrey’s adaptation also
I remember wishing to have a museum/house as their herpetologist uncle.
I can't speak for the books and how well they were adapted because I haven't read them - but I love the film. Jim Carrey's over the topness if you think about it, is perfect for playing a character who is so full of himself and has to be the centre of attention.
I never picked up that the ending with Olaf being punished didn't actually happen until I saw others point it out in the comments, but even so, I loved it when I was a kid. Eleven of the books were out at the time, and after so many depressing adventures, it was great fan service to see Count Olaf get a comeuppance. Did anyone else feel that way?
At least Justice was somewhat served, even if Justice wasn't fair and he did escape...
At least we kinda got an idea of what would have happened.
I remember the MAD parody where Wario was Count Olaf and the kids were Lemminngs.
I see your a man of Culture
Thank you for your wisdom. I will go research. Good bless you, a true gentleman and scholar.
I just wanted to mention that, for me, the soundtrack to this film was just as satisfying as the art direction. I was entranced by both as a child.
They probably took his glasses away so he wouldn’t look as much like Harry Potter
The score to this film SLAPS! Used to fall asleep with my cd player tucked under my pillow and the headphones blasting the awesome themes.
I loved the movie. I thought it’s transitioned well to film with additions like the Happiest Elf, and the soundtrack is one of my all-time favourites. I still listen to it.
I'm glad someone else feels the way I do about this movie. It was a tragedy this version didn't get sequels
Thomas Newman's score was amazing! Listen to the Letter That Never Came and Finding Nemo's intro.
I never read the books and I was a huge Harry Potter fan when this movie came out. I still loved it more than HP movies tbh and I felt kinda jealous of Snicket’s fans because they got a great adaptation and I was constantly complaining of every Harry Potter movie it came out 🤣
When the netflix show aired I felt like I knew the story from the start, it wasn't until the third chapter that I realised that I saw this movie in the TV when I was little.
I love the movie and the tv series. I haven't seen the movie in a long time, are you sure you remember the ending with Olaf getting pummeled correctly? If I remember correctly, it was a comedic "what if" scene. The scene ends with saying "sadly, this didn't happen. Olaf escaped and..." etc. So that whole him getting through all the stuff kids did was just a very Snicket style narrator line.
This movie was what introduced me to the book series as a kid. I loved it, but after enjoying it so many times, I decided to give the book series a try and absolutely adored it. It was the only true book series to have me hooked as a kid, since I tend to hate narrative structures that most stories are refined to. The narrator telling the story as a character really sold it for me. I don't think I could ever get rid of my collection, and I really do need to check out the Netflix series sometime.
you're just preaching to the choir with this video
(at least for me anyway)
Same.
No not really at least half way through
i’ve never read the books, so…
i love this movie. have always done so. the tone, the characters, the visuals… always fascinated me
I loved and still love this movie. I watched it in theatre with my mum and I had never watched anything like it before. The cinematography was beautiful and the production value still holds up today.
Strange how the Netflix version has the same downfall. It focused so hard on count Olaf and make him comedic relief which breaks the scariness of him and makes it the count Olaf show
Idk, I feel like Neil Patrick Harris balanced being funny and scary pretty well
It didn't necessarily have a downfall, but it did kind of throw away the feeling of having that constant fear as a kid that something bad was going to happen every few moments. There were parts in the Series that showed Olaf and his true menacing dark personality shined, but otherwise the adults were more childish than isolating themself from being incompetent and like the children always speak and do things they can't understand. The hench people in the movie definetely also looked more menacing than the series version and gave more uncomfortable vibes.
That and the difference in Mr. Poe is both between incompetent and actually making sense in the children. I think the series Mr. Poe covers the book one better than the Movie one. He's more uncertain and thinks he's always helping in the movie and in the Tv Series he doesn't even know he's uncertain and he always thinks he's helping and doesn't even get the point when everyone else knows he fails, which is what the Book intended him to be.
CLICKED THIS AS SOON AS I SAW THE NOTIFICATION THE MOVIE DESERVES MORE RESPECT AND IM A FAN OF THE BOOKS AND TV SHOW
Same😂
This is one of amy all time favourite films growing up and i'm happy someone is talking about it!!! It's so morbidly fantastical and rewatching it brings me immense joy. The music is also so so amazing, especially the "the letter that never came" 😭😭 i always tear up
Thank you. I have always loved this movie and I have kinda alot of issues with TV show with how much they bubblegum and sugared it with the look and the really lackluster acting compared to the movie.
As a person that knew nothing of this book title, I really enjoyed the movie. It was a lot of fun, and all the actors were great. The artsiness was fun , dark, and felt great.
One of my fav shows from Netflix
Masterful cinematography by Lubezki just noting that he is is the DP
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this video essay my whole life. Seriously, you perfectly summed up why I think the 2004 film is an amazing adaptation. The Netflix series doesn’t hold a candle to it in my opinion.
Thank you for this! Ive been preaching this for years. ❤
I really enjoyed the books far more than the film and Netflix show. Although I must admit that the movie was the closest decent on screen adaptation. Jim Carrey was amazing.
I love how you work to make your own take on things without relying on what other people say. Half the time I watch your videos, I just go “YES that’s what I thought!”. So glad to have more opinions in the film world for the common person.
I feel the point of that tacked on “good ending” being cartoonish is to show that it’s a pipe dream and will never happen. The reality is that Count Olaf escapes and keeps harassing the children.
Snicker often tells the reader that they should just stop watching and pretend something else happened before things go wrong in the books. That tacked on but is supposed to represent how silly that idea is.
Thank you Mr Midnight , one of my all time favorites
I like the score a lot. The end credit song Drive Away is especially hypnotic.
Also the costume design here was INCREDIBLE! I remember loving it as a kid and I still do now, I feel like it kinda plays into the ambiguity of the time period. It played into the aesthetic very well and helped balance with the set design.
Just watched this movie on my home theater setup and to say that it is a timeless artistic masterpiece would be an understatement
The movie had that 2000s gothic tim burton Victorian esque that i love.
Completely agree. In fact for years I thought this was a Tim Burton film.
The costume design is spot on too. Violet's especially looks far superior to the TV show where they put her in bright pink and white, which is not something I could imagine for her.
Finally, someone agrees with me and can articulate my thoughts! Great video :)
The movie is amazing, how it could convey a huge cast and that the actors gave it tons of personality and history in the little time that they were away.
i watched it in the theater with my grandmother and i can barely remember it. You've convinced me to give it a rewatch!
The atmosphere of this movie is so cool and I've never seen it recreated anywhere, except maybe coraline
Great video.
A few months ago I rewatched the movie ( for the first time since seeing it with my younger brother years ago in theaters) and loved Jim Carrey's Olaf so much that I and decided to try the audiobooks.
I just finished Book 13 today, and it's been amazing, even though I'm a grown man in his 30s the plot still had me guessing and left me with so many unanswered questions.
I completely agree about Monty not getting enough time to shine, as he was one of my favorite characters from the series and one of the few genuinely likeable adults. Still, Carrey's Olaf is so good and I had fun imagining him as the character throughout the series as I listened to it.
Some of my favorite bits in the movie were "Do you have a hall pass?" "What did you call me?" (in response to the puttanesca sauce) him on stage and his Captain Sham character.
Thanks for making this video. As a huge fan of the Netflix series, I pretty much wrote this movie off. But there’s quite a bit to appreciate here.
Although I never saw the movie and only got introduced to the lemony snicket universe through the netflix series, I can say that this whole world is exquisite. I never got so excited to watch a show until this one, and the cliffhanger (a cliffhanger for me because I never read the books) from the second season left me in SHAMBLES until the third season came.
First off: Thank you captainmidnight for giving some much needed attention to this misunderstood masterpiece. But I have to say you missed something about the happy ending: It didn't happen.The narrator says so that he wishes it were true but Count Olaf was actually found innocent by a jury of his peers. This through me off as well and I thought for years that he survived all of those ordeals until re-watching the film again (500th time probably) as an adult. I am also a huge fan of the books and this movie so once again thanks for making this vid.
I haven't read the books ever, I didn't even know this existed as book series.
But when I was little, we had this dvd at home (and for some reason PS game) and me and my sister watched it over and over again. I remember how at first I didn't quite get it, but the film's tone and style were just so weird, fascinating and unique that I ended up loving it, and watching it again again.
Clicked so fast! I loved SOUE books as a kid, still do. I did like Neil Patrick Harris but Jim Carrey will always be my favorite count Olaf. The show was🔥🔥🔥
It’s just too bad that we never got live action movies from the Magic treehouse, the last unicorn or Bones Comic! I would love to see Jim Currey play Freakazoid!
I didn’t even realize just how bright the Netflix series was until you contrasted it with the movie! I love the Netflix series, but you make so many good points great video
The cinematography in this movie is stunning. It will always be one of my favorites. Working in the film business, I often use certain shots in this film for style boards and inspirations.
Honestly, my experience with this movie was a lot different. Like you, I totally loved A Series of Unfortunate Events way more than any other children's series at the time. Between my brother and I, we had the entire collection of the series and Harry Potter. Once we got older and went to college, we did have to start divvying up our book collection. I easily traded everything to have A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I still have those original copies today. Now, years later as a teacher, I'm thrilled to introduce my students to them as well.
When the movie was first announced, I was super stoked. I was in 7th grade at the time and still very much into the series. I remember right before the movie released, we had a massive blizzard that Christmas. Power went out all over town. So, nope, wasn't going to get to see it before we left to go visit family for the holidays. Got to our destination for Christmas and tried to see it then. One theater was sold out and another had its power go out (we were in a different state for the holidays, so different reason altogether). In a way, I now see that as the universe giving me the warning signs that I should not have seen this movie. Eventually, my aunt found a theater that still had tickets and we went to go see it. I was pretty bummed after seeing this movie. And it wasn't entirely the fact that they put the three books out of order. I think it was Jim Carrey that totally made it such a flop, in my opinion. Now that I'm older, I realize it's because an actor like Jim Carrey is more of an acquired taste. He's capable of good acting in more serious films, but you either love him or hate him in more comedic roles, and Count Olaf is not meant to be a comedic role. He's an absurdist role, to be sure, which has humorous elements, but not fully comedic and Carrey just couldn't hit that sweet spot, I think.
I ended up really enjoying the Netflix series so much more. While I agree the sets and costumes are "different," I find that I like that style a little more as feeling truer to the book. While the designs are more CGI, they're meant to evoke a sort of "twisted fairytale" setting that just fits the aesthetic more, I think. It reminds me of the kinds of designs for another TV show I used to like: Pushing Daisies. It gives the atmosphere a dark, yet light, and slightly cartoonish feel, which I think is what Handler was going for in the storytelling. It was a twist on the common tale of clever children outsmarting evil adults, and it just fit. That being said, I get that people have different opinions between the movie and the TV series. I think a lot of that comes down to how you see the portrayals of the characters, and everyone feels differently about them.
I really enjoy the film, even though it differs from the books. From what the film lacks (It's clever running gags on wordplay, and incredibly bleak setting with incredibly dry humour), it certainly makes up for with fun thrilling set pieces and Jim Carrey being wild and constantly enjoyable to watch. The Netflix show is clearly the superior adaptation. But for an hour and a half big budget studio adaptation of 3 books, the film somehow does a pretty good job of making something good!
Great points. I always felt that the overall tone of this film was melancholy and mysterious (sans a few mid-2000s children’s comedy moments). I think the biggest way it overshadows the Netflix series (which I thought was fun and clearly very Wes-Anderson-esque) was the mystery. We read the series through the Baudelaires eyes, and they were typically out of the know. Sometimes tantalizingly close to a breakthrough, only to be thwarted by Count Olaf or even a heinous crime from the past. The show makes things clearer by showing the background info and having B and C plots that eventually converge with the main plot, but the movie and book series really piques your interest by showing you the spyglass, hints of VFD, Josephine’s old photo albums, etc., but never letting you, nor the Baudelaires, put it all together. It was a shame the only reason a sequel was nixed despite being successful at the box office was because the actors just got too old to reprise their roles. I don’t think Nickelodeon was prepared for the success and only planned for a one-off which is why they seemed to only half-heartedly set up a sequel.
I really appreciate this positive outlook and trying to highlight the good in this film. It's easy to shit over unpopular films so I really appreciate this positive review
You should cover the golden compass! I fondly look back on that film!
Man, can you please make a video about the series on netflix? I loved it so much, and actually, before your video i didn't even knew it was base on a series of books, that just made me appreciate it even more
I really enjoyed this film too in spite of the departures from the book. The art direction/atmosphere and wardrobe was on point, great acting, and the music was memorable.
Thank you for this! :)
I haven't read the books but the movie was one of my favourite films as a kid, I think most of the criticism is fans not seeing as much detail as in the books but the character stuff and plot did not seem rushed at all to me. I actually prefer the movie to the series as it contains much more of a sad tone and the series is too lighthearted.
To be fair, even the new Series of Unfortunate Events relies too heavily on dated CGI for Sonny.
Also for sets. I really agree with it should be changed to have more real sets and millimeter film
I love the books and the movie so much. They are seriously cherished items in my home, and it's nice to find someone who like them.
Lemony Snicket is soooooo friggin cool! Still one of my favorite authors 💯👑
Back in 5th grade, my teacher had the class write a letter to send to our favorite authors, and I remember writing my letter to Lemony Snicket. A week or two comes by, and my letter comes in with my teacher handing the envelope to me! Opening the envelope, Snicket had sent a letter in the classic frayed paper fashion, and within the letter, certain words had letters missing. After deciphering the missing words like code, it spelled out the line "Olaf Nearby."
Snicket was ahead of his time on the real. 🐐👑💯
When it came to the road runner scene, I was under the impression that none of that actually happened. They say he was ordered to endure all he had put the children through, but if I remember correctly, immediatly after the montage jude law states "if only justice had been so kind" and says something regarding olaf escaping before he had to face punishment. So i think the scene is only depicting what would have happened if he had not escaped.
Every week, we inch closer and closer to an Alex rider analysis. I can feel it.
I never read the books being older but I really enjoyed everything about this movie. Didnt linger too longer, great music and a good group of actors. I liked it much more than the TV Series though I again really liked the cast but felt that one went way to slowly.
Weird, I remember the narrator saying the “punishing Olaf” scene was what he WISHED had actually happened, and he’d actually gotten away. I could be misremembering that.
What I definitely remember is that this film had an absolutely KILLER soundtrack by Thomas Newman. For everything the Netflix show does well, the film absolutely surpasses it in the music department.
Thank you for making this because so many people hate on this movie and I've always really liked it. I was a HUGE fan of the books and while I was upset it didn't get everything right, what it did get right was the tone & characters, and those are the most important things.
The fact that this was shot completely on stage sets is pretty nuts. And yeah, shoutout to the score... Newman did a stellar job. That OST captivated me.
thank you for this! i loved this movie when it came out, and i still love it. it's not a perfect adaptation, but it works well as its own thing. and NPH has nothing on JC as Olaf in terms of creepiness - nothing can make me feel afraid of or intimidated by NPH, but Jim Carrey sitting in that rocking chair with a knife? gets me every time.
the thing with the glasses was completely intentional though - they were afraid of comparisons to Harry Potter, and wanted Klaus to be distinguishable from him.
These books were what occupied my childhood. I never shut up about them to my mother, who was always so enthralled to hear about them vicariously.
And I must say, 15 years later... they are still my favorite books.