The Beaudelaires check in to the Hotel Denouement where nobody is quite who they appear. Such a lovely place. Such a lovely face.

You know that things are going to get complicated when we’re introduced to hotel managers Frank and Ernest, who happen to be identical brothers, with one bad and the other good – but they’re not twins, so what can they be? Throw into the mix that some of the guests have already played pivotal roles in previous stories and it’s apparent that a lot is going to be covered in this 90 minutes.

Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family, Men in Black) is back behind the camera on this complicated tale that not only throws in twists and revelations with aplomb, but an essential flashback that sets up the whole Olaf grudge and insight into the mysterious organisation that is the VFD.

The second half becomes a court room drama for a while and it’s Neil Patrick Harris’s Olaf who gains the upper hand. No disguise, no subterfuge, just a cunning villain highlighting the failings of those who should have looked after the Beaudelaires. It all ends in chaos and a very unlikely foursome take to sea for a final adventure.

Verdict: Lemony Snicket novices will be bewildered by the sheer amount of exposition and plot squeezed into these essential episodes while the die-hard fans may still have to pause things now and then to check an oblique or overt reference. It’s been a blast, but all good things… 9/10

Nick Joy