Photo by Photo from Netflix

Based on the hit children’s book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, released on January 13th, follows the (unfortunate) story of the Baudelaire children and their struggle against the mischievous and villainous Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris) as he tries to steal the massive Baudelaire fortune.

When starting the show, I went in with the mindset that the show would appeal to the 15-25 year old demographic that read the books when they were kids. This mindset hurt my enjoyment of the show as, something that became quickly apparent to me, it’s a children’s show. In hindsight, I should have figured that this would be a program for children, but that didn’t stop the part of me that wanted to see a dark and gritty version of a core part of my childhood.

The Pros
It is very apparent that the show was based off of a book since the way characters talk and interact is almost like a visual audiobook. The show is almost exactly like the book, the interactions, vocabulary and character building are excellent representations of how the books were.

The Cons
I had a bit of issues with this show. First, the show relies way too heavily on computer generated imagery to the point of where it almost feels animated. Secondly, I mentioned how the interactions between characters are exactly like the book, but this doesn’t translate to good television. The dialogue is awkward at times, and it can take away from the story. On top of this, the show really isn’t incredibly depressing. This is more of a story issue than an issue with the show but 5-10 minutes of every episode consists of Lemony Snicket talking about how horrible and depressing the Baudelaire children have it. The children are in a very rough situation, and it is sad but really the issue is more frustrating than it is depressing.

The Verdict
I definitely think this should be watched after the books are read. I recommend it for kids ranging from 10-13, but there are still problems with the show.
BEN’S RATING: 6/10