Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix) thoughts

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series I hold very close to my heart, as each book managed to both horrify and entertain me as a child. After a somewhat middling movie adaptation featuring Jim Carrey in the early 2000s, I had given up all hope of seeing one of my favorite tales given the proper live-action treatment.

In 2017 my somewhat hesitant hopes were answered in the form of a Netflix series that looked to be adapting the whole 13-book series. Was I a bit apprehensive? Sure I was, I’d been burned before. However, upon sitting down and beginning a trek through the show my eyes were glued to the screen; a phrase which here means I was enjoying what I was seeing and spent hours upon hours watching it in one sitting.

I’d say it did a good job of adapting the books for television and taking the time to explain the more vague details that weren’t covered so well in the original story, though this has proven to be quite divisive among fans who prefer the more ambiguous nature of the books. While I can sympathize with both sides, I think it may have been a necessary step given the age of the audience today who would have no doubt taken to Snapchat to complain about ‘THIS SERIES DOESN’T EXPLAIN ANYTHING IT’S SO TERRIBLE.’

I feel like some of the stories suffered a bit from being condensed into two episodes each, with a few characters and events being cut out and while it may have been for the best, I would have still liked to have seen them. It’s definitely worth a watch though, as it has some great acting, twisted humor and imaginative backgrounds that give the show quite a unique and surreal style.