When I saw the very first trailer, I was already sure that this film wasn't going to be one of my all time favorites. I went into the movie with rather low expectations, but still i came out totally disappointed.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong, I'm not a raging fan of the original books, to be honest I've never read one... I don't even who who the hell this Lemony Snicket is (and after watching this movie, i don't even care)!<br /><br />So, I'm not saying that it is a bad adaptation, I'm saying it is a BAD FILM. <br /><br />Right after the film boosts off, we can hear the gentle voice of Jude Law whining annoyingly about some kids, we don't even know yet. You better get used to this whining, because mostly that is gonna be what you hear during the rest of the movie. Then we finally meet those kids. Two little boys, a bit elder sister, with their mommy and daddy. Mom and dad dies right away, so the kids dig up their relatives all around the world, and ask them, to take care of them children. All of them answer "Yes! Gladly!", but the evil Count Olaf kills them one by one, to get his hands on the kids' legacy. Just when this monotonous method gets very tedious, the movie ends, and you can watch some very well made cartoon end credits (surely they wanted to make up for the rest of the movie).<br /><br />What the hell was this all about??? Who the hell were those kids, and why should we, or that Lemony Sicket guy care about them? And who the hell is Lemony Snicket, and why is it necessary for him to whine during the whole movie? Why should I sit through a movie, which has NO ENDING?<br /><br />This movie is a miserable attempt to ride the waves of the adaptation-frenzy.<br /><br />That's it. And the most unfortunate event about this movie, is that it succeeded somehow. I could tolerate all the stupidity, and dumbness in the movie versions of Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter, but in this case they failed to put together a standalone movie.<br /><br />Even more unfortunate, that some of the staff really tried. Techincally, the film looks marvelous. The costumes, the scenery, the colors, they all come together really well, and we can see the hard work in it (I don't understand though, why a story with basically NO wondrous elements should get a so out-of-this-world scenery). I feel pity for this group of the filmmakers, for having to take part in a mess like this. They deserve better. Better than the director, the writer, and the main actor in this movie. Yes, I'm talking about Jim Carrey.<br /><br />I can't see why most people melts down from the performance he does here. It's hysterical. Count Olaf in Carrey's role is a raging idiot, with no real character, and a stupid fake beard.<br /><br />As far as I know, there's no attempt to make a sequel, so this movie remains a torso forever. A money-monging pile of crap. But if a sequel comes around soon, I'm sure it wouldn't be more either than an attempt to feed some fat producer.