Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is based on the series of popular children's stories, although I'd like to make it abundantly clear that parents should exercise extreme caution before taking their little ones to see this picture. It is dark, a tad morbid, and extremely depressing. Having said that, I was very surprised by how much I liked this movie, despite a meandering screenplay and a showboating Jim Carrey.

Narrated by fictional writer Lemony Snicket (Jude Lawe), this whimsical fantasy tells the story of young Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, three recently orphaned children whom, after escaping the evil clutches of money hungry Count Olaf (a high energy Jim Carrey), embark on a fantastical journey, hopscotching from one new home to the next, with Olaf hot on their heals.

A Series of Unfortunate Events reminded me of three other films in particular - Harry Potter with it's unique vision and magical vistas, Big Fish with it's whimsical tales of awe-inspiring fantasy, and White Oleander with it's primary story about parentless youngsters being put into one tough situation after another.

This is another one of those manic, go-for-broke turns by Jim Carrey, and he doesn't waste any time making it known that he's the star of the picture (granted it should be pointed out that I wasn't really annoyed by him here -his turn as the Grinch is another story however). Funny thing though, as overpowering as one might expect Carrey to be, he is overshadowed by three wonderful young leads in the form of Emily Browning (who plays the quiet but tough Violet - I see a star in the making here), Liam Aiken (who plays the wise Klaus), and cute little twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman (who share duties in playing Sunny, an infant who has a habit of biting things and not letting go). These youngsters hold their own against the likes of a bigger-than-life Jim Carrey and veteran star Meryl Streep.

Carrey is also upstaged by absolutely breathtaking cinematography, stunning Art Direction, and a magical score by Thomas Newman. I have to say that Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is one of the best looking pictures of the year.

As I stated early on in the review though, this movie is surprisingly dark and I'm quite shocked that the MPAA didn't slap this one with a PG-13. But then, I don't know why I'm in the least bit surprised. This is, after all, the MPAA we're talking about. These guys gave The Polar Express a G (clearly, it should have got a PG). A Series of Unfortunate Events is definitely on the gloomy side, and not only features a murder attempt on the lives of three youngsters, but features a most inappropriate wedding as well. Still, I guess the title itself is something of a warning - after all it's not A Series of Fortunate Events.

As morbid as Lemony Snicket gets, I respected that the film doesn't shy away from tackling tough subject matter head on. Of course, it helps that this is fantasy, which to some extent cushions the blow.

Many critics are giving low marks to the meandering screenplay, and while I'm inclined to agree that the movie is a little uneven, the young leads and the stunning production values were enough for me. I wasn't as enchanted by this as the last Harry Potter film, but I still felt it to be a magical movie experience. And nothing could prepare me for the visual splendor of it all. Director Brad Silberling (City of Angels, Casper) has fashioned his best looking movie to be sure. And while at the surface, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events appears to be a mean-spirited fairy tale, it ultimately becomes a story about the power of family. This is never more apparent than in the unexpectedly moving (and bittersweet) final moments of the picture, in which there does appear to be light at the end of the tunnel. I really got swept up in the fantasy of this movie, and I hope there are more unfortunate events to come.

On a side note, be sure to stick around for the strange (but cool) ending credits.