Lemony Snicket

The books are already wrapped and under the tree so we thought we'd check out the film tonight too. The idea and the stroies are such a good idea for bloodthirsty kids, like mine, I love the whole thing: the non-specific period, the style, the macabre, the humour, and so expected quite a lot from the movie. And it was perfectly fine, hard to find substantial fault with, but it just wasn't very inspirational; not a classic. The design was great, but still lacked something Tim Burton might have given it; the kids were fine, if not exceptional; and Jim was Jim, reliable as ever, but you felt a little roped in at times. It also went along with something that really bugs me in films: a mix of periods - old dress, old cars, old buildings, but then the baby says things like "Bite me", just not necessary and pandering to dumb American audiences to try and buy approval. Could have been so much better if they'd pushed the idea to it's darkest limits - having said that, my daughter adored it. Kx