snicket-3The first four Lemony Snicket novels finally get the on-screen adaptation that they deserve in this joyous Netflix production that offers fun for all ages.

It’s not very often you get a second chance in Hollywood. A series of… ahem, unfortunate events led to director Barry Sonnenfeld leaving the first screen adaptation of Snicket books 1-3 and Daniel Handler (the real-life Lemony Snicket) decided to have his name removed from the movie screenplay credit because he felt his original work had been changed so much. And so it was that Brad Silberling took over directorial duties and delivered the 2004 film with Jim Carrey and Emily Browning, which performed well, but never spawned the sequels it promised. Flash forward to 2016 and Barry Sonnenfeld was directing half the Netflix version, with Daniel Handler writing half the screenplays.

Both Sonnenfeld and Handler have benefited from this series of fortunate events as they now have the space to give the stories their due. Instead of cramming three books into a 100-minute movie, each book is given two parts to tell its tale, clocking in with running times of 90 to 113-minute movies. Each two-parter has a cliffhanger at the mid-point, just as things look like they can’t get any worse.

The story revolves around the Baudelaire siblings – Violet, Klaus and baby Sunny –orphaned when their parents’ mansion is consumed by fire. Through the contrivances of some very poor management by adults who should know better they end up in the arms of Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), a despicable child-slapping, hammy actor who leads a troop of equally Machiavellian ne’r-do-wells.

Patrick Harris has a ball, returning in the ensuing stories in poor disguises which are immediately cracked by the children. He looks an awful lot like the Jim Carrey movie Olaf, but his is a more restrained performance, which isn’t to say he still doesn’t have great fun chewing the scenery. And talking of chewing the scenery, top-knotted cutie Presley Smith is adorable as the infant with the diamond-hard teeth, all chuckles and coos, while proving to be cleverer than most of the adults in the show.

Malina Weissman (child lead in Sonnenfeld’s Nine Lives) and Louis Hynes are also highly-watchable as Violet and Klaus; you sympathise with these poor children as they stumble from one crisis to another. Stylistically, imagine a combination of Tim Burton, Pushing Daisies (Sonnenfeld directed two) and Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family movies. This is a knowingly fantastical world where shonky rear projection and obvious use of animation or miniatures is embraced. The scripts are also wonderful, sneaking in wordplay and grammatical conundrums among the fun. There’s also some cheeky references as to why long-form streaming TV without the irritation of adverts is preferable to a trip to the cinema!

snicket-1Patrick (The Tick) Warburton appears on screen as eponymous narrator Lemony Snicket, walking invisibly through scenes and prophesying doom. Oh, and Batman Lego and SHIELD’s Agent Maria Hill also turn up in recurring roles, but you’ll have to watch to find out why.

Verdict I can’t see how you could get better adaptations of The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill. Let’s hope its (sorry Aunt Josephine, I meant ‘it’s’) popular enough that Netflix stand by their plan to film the entire 13-book run. This is top quality (Unfortunate) event TV for the whole family; just sit back, Netflix and binge. 9/10

Nick Joy