by MARK SLUTSKY

In this mid-Harry Potter, post-Lord of the Rings cinematic universe, it's no surprise to see Daniel Handler's wildly popular series of macabre, fantastical kids books adapted for the big screen. But while Handler's morbid humour and sympathetic, endangered orphans seem like a perfect fit for the movies, director Brad Silberling's new film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, doesn't quite have the charm of the aforementioned epics. For all the movie's big-budget eye candy, it's a repetitive story, poorly-paced, lumpy and altogether kind of irritating.

The tale starts with the introduction of the soon-to-be-orphaned Baudelaire children, mechanical genius Violet (Emily Browning), bookworm Klaus (Liam Aiken) and monosyllabic baby Sunny (Kara and Shelby Hoffman). When the glum youngsters' parents are killed in a mysterious fire, the three are sent to live with their distant relation, the villainous would-be actor Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), who has transparent designs on the family fortune. Our heroic orphans escape his clutches, only to be confronted with Carrey in various disguises (a scientist, a sailor), whom they recognize as Olaf, while the adults around them are oblivious. Repeat until end credits.

Now, for the first half-hour or so, A Series of Unfortunate Events is easy enough to watch, thanks to outstanding production design. The movie takes place in an indeterminate time where people live in decrepit mansions and cars have reel-to-reel players. But while it's visually quite pleasing, this is a poorly told story, and if I might repeat myself, unduly repetitive. Carrey seems to be having a fine time playing all these roles, but his shtick grows tired very quickly, and the rest of the adults (including the unfortunately shrill Meryl Streep) are likewise tiresome. The movie doesn't help itself by including a stupid ongoing gag where baby Sunny's lines are shown in subtitles, offering up such hilarious wisecracks as "What a shmuck!" It's like the Look Who's Talking series never went away! Without any well-defined characters or fun storyline to hold onto, the movie quickly lives up to its title.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
opens Friday, Dec. 17

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