Skip to main content

Translate

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is Surprisingly Pleasant to Watch

On Friday the 13th my childhood came back to me in a flash thanks to the Netflix Original Series of A Series of Unfortunate events. When I saw the trailers, I was skeptical, courtesy of the 2004 film adaptation. The film chose to incorporate the first three books into one film, and the result was a rushed plot and little to no character development.

That being said, I was quite surprised when I sat down to witness the tale. I noticed immediately that the eight-episode season would only be covering the first four books, each receiving two episodes. As the intro song, sung by Neil Patrick Harris, played, I was excited that the style of writing in the book was being captured. The entire intro advises looking away from the story that is to follow.


The character of Lemony Snicket appears and advises viewing something else, as per the novels, adn the story begins. The character of Mr Poe arrives to give the unpleasant news that the children's parents have perished. It is here that one of the major writing style choices of the novel appears, the definition of words.

 The series keeps true to the plots of each book, including the actual reveals of Count Olaf's identity in each episode. The choice to make it somewhat obvious to the children and the audience makes the idea that the children are much smarter than the adults all the more convincing.

 One deviation that I applaud is the beginning of establishing later key plot points, namely the Quagmire family and the organization VFD, in the first episodes. These additional short scenes showing the actions of this organization in reference to the events of the Baudelaire children helps set up the plot of the later books, beginning with the Austere Academy, which will start season 2 of the series.

 In the meantime, we wait to witness the remainder of the series of unfortunate events, in which I hope thy will continue to be true to the source
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is It Practically Perfect in Every Way?

*This review will contain spoilers for Mary Poppins Returns Many decades ago, Mary Poppins arrived on Cherry Tree Lane to amaze and enchant the silver screen. Now, Disney has released a sequel, but is it as incredible as all those years ago? In my opinion, this film manages to capture the essence of the original impeccably. From the high energy magic to the blurred lines between reality and imagination, the feel is absolutely astounding, and accurately captures the essence of the original, but with a few changes. Set 15 years after the original, Michael Banks, now a father of three, is about to lose the beloved family home from a loan. This places him in some paths similar to those of his father, including snapping at his children. The arrival of Mary leads the family on a path of discovery and growth, all the while educating the viewers on remaining optimistic in dark times, as there's "Nowhere to go but up". Emily Blundt plays a different, almost slightly cold...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Literal "Ghost in the Shell": Anime Spirit in a Live Action Body

*This Review will contain spoilers for Ghost in the Shell . I am not an Anime person. I just wanted to state that at the beginning of this review, as my opinions are not based in a former enjoyment of Anime. That being said, this film has me interested in this genre of entertainment and animation film. The live action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell felt like an anime in spirit, but a live action "shell" (pun intended). I found the cinematography remarkable in this film, as numerous shots felt like panels from a graphic novel, similar to how The Walking Dead  occasionally copies a shot directly from an illustration. However, this feeling was present throughout the film. A fantastic example comes when Major strains her muscles ripping open the tank. The splitting of the muscle and the particles flying off feel like an image from a comic book. It is shots like this that made for an inclusive experience. While I saw the film in 2D, I could see the 3D version havin...
Post a Comment
Read more

It All Comes Down to This (Avengers: Infinity War)

*This review will contain spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War Ten years ago, an idea began which sought to create a massive cinematic universe capable of holding its audience... And now, that journey begins to come to a real head. Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has now spanned an entire decade. While the universe has its weaker films, Marvel has managed to create an intriguing, and self-sustaining storyline throughout all the entries. And now, we can all sit back and watch the sun rise over a grateful Earth as the Avengers, now joined with almost every hero in the MCU, defeat the Mad Titan once and for all, right? Well, as those of you who have seen the film by now, this was definitely NOT what happened. This is one of the first Superhero films I have actually seen where the good guys actually lose. While many expected this, we may not have anticipated the full scale of what would happen at the end of this film. While it i...
Post a Comment
Read more