What Is It?
This is a new gothic children's film based on a popular book series. The Baudelaire Children have tragedy after tragedy befall them as they try to figure out the secrets of their parents’ death/murder and avoid the evil Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) who is after their soon to be inherited fortune.
How Was It?
The Sets and Costumes are incredible, The actors (from the superstars to the children) give top performances and the camera work in fabulous. So what is the "Unfortunate Event"?. This story is painfully slow. You meet the children, then they are told that there parents are dead. New characters are introduced, the children like them, then they are killed. The children are never allowed to have much reaction or emotion in an attempt to maintain the stoic gothic stance of the film. There are a lot of good ideas here that are never developed enough to make them interesting.
Is It Good For Kids?
This film tries to be dark. Dealing with death, murder even suicide; it seems too intense for most younger children, and not interesting enough for older children. Also, adults are either stupid, irrational, or psychotically evil where kids are the only ones who have the answers. You can check www.ScreenIt.com for a complete break down of elements shown on the screen.
How about Spiritual Issues?
There are none... which is the issue. People are dealing with death and destruction of loved ones for the entire film with no mention of God or the Afterlife. No one prays, or even questions "Why would God allow this?" which is a weird absence considering most people only think about God when faced with loss. So parents should be prepared to deal with these issues after the film.
What Is My Recommendation?
If you are looking for a film that's
appropriate for most the family, looks fantastic, has great performances
and story, but is still dark (dealing with fear and even death) and still
has a moral point- Stay home and rent the horribly underrated
"Babe Pig In The
City"
And which ever film you see, pay attention to what it is saying to your children
(and you) and talk to your kids afterward. Talk about what they liked and
didn't like, as well as what the characters and movie was telling them about
life.
