Reading up on Potter's rival

4:30pm Thursday 16th December 2004

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (PG)

If your kids loved Harry Potter then they will love this. Lemony Snicket's novels follow the misfortunes of the Baudelaire orphans whose parents died in a fire, and their evil guardian, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), who is trying to get his hands on their money.

The main appeal of the film is the resilience and ingenuity of the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus and baby Sunny, who consistently outwit the adults, something which accounts for the books' success in knocking Harry Potter off the top of the New York Times children's bestseller list.

The film rushes through the first three books in the 11-part series, as Violet, Klaus and Sunny are transferred from the dark and dirty house of Count Olaf to the Reptile room owned by the kindly Uncle Monty (Billy Connolly) and Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep). Their rickety cottage is balanced high above Lake Lachrymose, where they are pursued by the evil Count Olaf, dressed in numerous guises. The film required 70 different sets, five of which are on water.

In spite of Lemony Snicket's (Jude Law) warnings of misfortune, in some ways the plot is not as dark as Harry Potter. Early on they escape from death, proving that the children will be able to overcome the odds with relative ease.

The evil and shadowy Voldemort of Harry Potter is replaced with the far more cartoonish, bald and pale Count Olaf, played by Carrey complete with copious amounts of make-up.

On the other hand, unlike the magical powers of Harry Potter and his friends, Violet and Klaus have only their wits, courage and their love of reading to save themselves and solve the mystery of their parents' death.

The subliminal message to children is that reading will save your life if you ever come into contact with a Count Olaf or an Incredibly Deadly Viper.

Violet and Klaus have to bear much more of the weight of the plot than Harry Potter does in the crowded setting of Hogwarts school. However, the potential darkness of the plot is lifted by humorous touches, including a nice bit of subtitling for baby Sunny's unintelligible shrieks.

review by FIONA PINTO

Popcorn rating: three out of five

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