Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' coming to Netflix Reaction

It's back?!

It's been over 10 years since the film version of Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' was released and to be fair, I don't think anyone expected it to ever return... until now. Yes that's right, Netflix has secured the rights to the young adult series which will be a live-action series to take centre stage in the year of 2016. So far, there hasn't been any news in relation to who'll be directing and cast into the series. However, one thing is for sure is that if it is being released next year, then it's more than likely that the cast members will soon be revealed as I think it's fair to say that already, there is a strong and exciting following behind this project. Of course, Netflix who now have the rights to make this story come to life once again, are the ones that are going to produce the show, which is being fast tracked with Paramount Television. Paramount was originally behind the 2004 film starring Jim Carrey which grossed $209 million worldwide. Since there really isn't any information to go off from at the moment, it's a good opportunity for me to not only talk about the upcoming Netflix series and what I think they'll do to re-imagine the story, but I also wanted this chance to talk a little bit about the 2004 film and how I think it was unfortunate that it didn't get the success it deserved due to the fact that it was panned by numerous critics/journalists which in turn guaranteed no money return. Before I go into more depth on my opinions of the 2004 film, to those who don't know what this tale is about, I think it would be best to briefly give you a summary of what goes on in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'.

Narrated by Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events recounts the tale of the orphaned children Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire who are evidently ensnared at the hands of the villainous Count Olaf. With each of the Baudelaire orphans having a unique skill they can rely on such as Violet being an inventor, Klaus being a book-worm and Sunny who naturally likes to bite things, the three of them face trials of tribulations, misfortunes and an evil uncle in search for their fortune. Through their quest of hardships, the Baudelaire's along the way uncover secrets of not only how their home mysteriously caught fire in an instant, but they also unravel secrets of their parents deaths, and above all else, who they really were and what they did. The 13 books in the series have sold more than 65 million copies and have been translated into 43 languages.

A series that could have rivaled the Harry Potter films.

Now that everyone has a somewhat rough understanding of the story, I do in fact want to talk about the 2004 film adaptation ever so slightly. Even though I'll probably do a review of this film in the near future, I still want to summarise my feelings about the film due to the fact that it'll contribute to what I have to say later on when I'll talk about the Netflix series that's coming. For me, it's a real shame that the film-adaptation didn't the plaudits it deserved and the following sequels it needed. I think one of the biggest criticisms of the film was it's pacing and how the film quickly spanned across the first 4 books relatively quickly. While I can understand on some regard for more mature audiences that this was an issue, in my opinion, there were a lot of good qualities that outweigh the bad aspects. On his performance alone, Jim Carrey as Count Olaf to some of the younger audiences, made what this film was. Jim Carrey for roughly around 20 to 30 years of film, is probably up there as being one of the best character actors to perform. For me, his role as the dark psycho yet weirdly charming uncle is up there with his best performances in any film he has done. Reflecting on what the character does in the film and books to some extent, it's a character that constantly wants to impersonate a cliche-zany person to get what he wants. I can honestly say that this aspect is what appealed to Carrey in the first place. I touched on it a little bit with the character of Olaf, but one of the underlying good aspects that the film upholds is while it is first and foremost a fantasy aimed at the younger generation, there are dark currents and spectacles that run just beneath the surface. Sure the mystery of the Baudelaire's parents death and the importance of the spyglass add to these dark themes, but one aspect that I like to compliment the most out of any cinematic technique that is used is the art direction and the production design. Even though the film was directed by Brad Silberling who did the Caspar if I'm right in saying that he did, the film in terms of it's overall look very much feels like a Tim Burton flick. Even the 2-D monochrome animation at the start of the film reminds me very much of the art direction that was used in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Essentially the monochrome, 'eye' web look adds to this underlying tone of darkness within the feature and I can see the more mature audience can watch this film baring that in mind. I could go on and on about the other features that this film-adaptation uses really well, but I do have to say this to finish off this section. I do think that if the film version received the credit that it deserved and got enough money and more attention to be turned into a franchise, I think it could of surpassed what Harry Potter is now. I remember back when the books came out for both series and there definitely was a split opinion between the two. I think if A Series of Unfortunate Events got the sequels they were crying for, I reckon it could of matched the Harry Potter film in terms of success and publicity, but obviously that was never meant to be. Now instead, we have Netflix to thank for their openness in allowing to produce a series that many thought would never return.

If you haven't caught on already, you can probably tell that with Netflix bringing A Series of Unfortunate Events back to the living that I am indeed excited on how Netflix will go about doing this series. Being a bit subjective, I think it's rather cool that Netflix is taking this on due to the fact they are the biggest online streaming service in this modern day and age and have produced numerous amounts of different series for multiple audiences. Their success is unquestionable and it is rightfully deserved due to the fact that they did in fact gamble on the whole idea of streaming T.V and Film together. What I like about Netflix getting involved in this story is that they are willing to open up the spectrum; they aren't just sticking to safe options which will guarantee views and money. Even though I do think that will happen with this series, I'm just saying that they are divulging themselves into a project that I'm sure many people have tried to bring back. Even before hearing the fact that Netflix were getting involved with this, I always thought to myself that if ever this book series got re-adapted, I think it would look good as an animation similar to what was in the 2004 movie. But obviously, Netflix are turning this into a live-action, which I don't have a problem with whatsoever. My only concerns at this stage of the game would be the series's originality and who it's targeted for. Personally, it would be annoying if anything from the film went to the series, even if Jim Carrey would return as Olaf I would be a bit concerned. However I trust that Netflix wouldn't allow that. I am confident that Netflix will get their way of showing it due to the fact they did essentially, resurrect Daredevil into a successful internet T.V series. As far as the cast goes I'm not particularly worried who they'll bring in. Again, all that counts up to this stage is for Netflix to find their own feet in this project and not borrow anything from past re-iterations. As long as they get the right town of the narrative being mysterious and dark which appeals to mature and young audiences, then everything will work smoothly.

And with that last note, that about wraps it up for this little update. Obviously if there was more infomation to share, I would gladly told you guys about it but so far it's just rumours now on who'll cast and direct the series. If any of you reading do want to share an opinion on the upcoming series or the 2004 film then please, feel free to comment down below in the comments section because I'm actually interested how many people did and didn't like these stories/film. Of course, if anything new does come up, I will gladly share that info with you guys. Thankyou for reading and be sure to check out my other Blog Posts of the past and the ones to come in the near future. See everyone later!! :)

Alex Rabbitte.

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