SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS SHOW REVIEW

If you're like me, you've read The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket as a child and it's very precious to you. It was thrown at me by my sister and it encouraged me to read more. I loved the books because it was dark, informative, entertaining and easy to read. I would make my mother take me to the library, borrow 5 books at once and finish them in a week. After reading up on the series, it's wickedly smart. I would not have been able pick up those allusions and comprehend the story in its entirety as a child. The series can be enjoyed by people of all ages!

The television adaptation definitely reignited my love for this series, but the adaptation was another installment in The Series of Unfortunate Adaptations. I think I'm the only one that didn't enjoy it because I've seen glowing reviews everywhere.

I thought the whole vibe of the show was wrong. I hate the color palette, setting and wardrobe. Color is so important and I wish the color palette was darker. The show has some pastels and "bright" colors, nothing wrong with those colors, just not with this adaptation. I wish it incorporated more dark greens, purples, blues, reds and more black. It completed threw me off when I saw Violet wearing FLORAL and PINK! 
I always pictured the books farther back in history and seeing it set so close to modern-day made me confused. The books gave me a Victorian/Gothic vibe, but the show was a little too retro. The sets however are amazing. I love the lighting and the houses were beautiful, even Olaf's house.

I enjoyed how they broke up one book in two parts, but each episode kind of dragged and wasn't interesting to watch-I have a small attention span. I think it stayed very true to the book, but they're adding a lot of stuff to it. They introduced Jacquelyn and went a little too in-depth with the Quagmires. I liked the twist of that sub-plot and how it intertwines into the story, but it's not Baudelaire-centric anymore. The Quagmire story is mentioned at the end of certain episodes and you go into the next episodes thinking about it. I was more focused on that sub-plot than what was happening with the Baudelaires (which wasn't all that exciting anyway). The show is slightly boring.

I love that the cast is so diverse, but certain casting choices are questionable... I LOVE NPH, but he just isn't Count Olaf. He's like nicest and coolest person in Hollywood. It was impossible for me for me to see him as a villain. His Count Olaf portrayal is also an extension of his Barney Stinson character (deception and disguises). Speaking of How I Met Your Mother, Cobie Smulders is also in the show! Love her, but it's too much like a reunion. I'm just waiting for Josh Radnor to take Lemony's role as Narrator (please don't, I never want to hear another story from Ted and how he met Beatrice)! Speaking of Lemony, I don't like that we see him in the story either. We saw his face and that goes against his whole style. In the books, we never saw Lemony's face (even in his author photos). He was this elusive, mysterious, and reliable narrator. He needs to be OUTSIDE the story, kind of like Jude Law in the movie adaptation. He needs to be the storyteller, not a character.

The kids... not a big fan of Violet and I don't know why. I thought she was a little to positive and happy looking, lol. I however don't mind the Klaus and Sunny and casting. I think Sunny is absolutely adorable and I loved how they quoted Murakami.

2 comments:

  1. I'm planning to watch the series! I heard it was good, but this review will definitely help me keep a sharp eye on the story and casting.
    I read the books a really long time ago so I'm not sure if I'd be able to pick up anything to compare with the books!
    the-emo-wolverine-writes.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting! I hope you enjoy the series more than I do and I'm so happy that you'll think of my review! It's been 5 years since I read the series, so the events were a bit foggy more me too. I went on wikipedia a couple of times and it helped a lot, lol!

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