Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Based on a series of fantasy books by Daniel Handler, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events tries to emulate Harry Potter, but has none of the charm, wonder or magic.

When the parents of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire are killed in a fire, the children are transferred from one eccentric and unfit guardian to the next.

While this premise shows promise, the pointless story serves only as an excuse for Jim Carrey to play three roles and mug for the camera with a multitude of goofy facial expressions he's done countless times before. As Count Olaf, he will stop at nothing to get the children's inheritance, including marrying the 14-year-old Violet, an unnervingly incestuous scene. Billy Connolly appears as Uncle Monty and Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, while Catherine O'Hara and Dustin Hoffman make cameos -- all are unmemorable. The trio of children have little to do but look cute and doleful, and none of them have any personality. Hence, one never feels for their plight. As narrator Lemony Snicket, Jude Law is the most interesting character, perhaps because he is seen merely in silhouette.

The gothic makeup and costumes make most of the cast seem like rejects from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the much-hyped sets are elaborate though unimaginative. Set in a surreal world where the sun never shines, everything on screen is bathed in shades of either brown or grey. This lack of colour accentuates the melancholy tone of the film, which inadvertently sedates the audience into a drug-induced haze.

Despite two brief escape sequences, nothing much ever happens. Most of the situations are unrealistic, and the time period is one of the many questions left unanswered; in addition, there is no discernible ending.

Devoid of any amusement, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a bizarre and drab film that is both unfunny and unfun. Rating: 2 out of 10.