Netflix has had an astounding run of good TV shows and movies. Not only have they given us Stranger Things, which opened us to the adorable and perfect next generation of kid actors, but they also gave us Orange is the New Black, Narcos, and Marco Polo. They never seem to stop with the amazing plots and twists and the incredible actors, and their latest, A Series of Unfortunate Events, is no exception.
At first I was hesitant. Having read the series as a kid and loving the original film with the illustrious Jim Carrey, I was worried they'd mess it up. When I finally got the notification that Netflix had released the first season, I sat down and began to watch the first episode...and then proceeded to finish the whole season in one sitting. It exceeded all expectations. Not only is Neil Patrick Harris the perfect Count Olaf with his perfect blend of both humor and terror, the new up and coming actors, Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes, excelled at their roles. Both showed (physically and mentally) the perfect attributes of what it meant to be a Baudelaire child. And if that wasn't good enough, Patrick Warburton plays the rather blunt Lemony Snicket who manages to keep the audience enthralled with his dreary vocabulary and not so subtle hints to the up and coming misery.
Not only is the cast spectacular, but the aesthetic appeal of the sets and costume design are also perfect. With its contrasting colors of dark versus pastel and the ever present vintage/gothic themes, the sets capture exactly the setting that was portrayed in the novels. Each costume also personifies the character flawlessly with little hints hidden throughout each episode as to their personality. Speaking of hints, the season is filled with tiny hints and easy to miss banter that die hard fans would notice were pulled straight from the novels.
If that wasn't enough, the whole season only has 8 episodes. Two episodes a piece correlate with one book in particular. Netflix purposely set it up this way to allow the audience to get comfortable with the new caretaker and then quickly yank it back, so the audience can relate to the Baudelaire children and understand their paranoia at a better level.
Once again, Netflix has really out-done itself. With an amazing cast, set and costumes and even musical numbers, A Series of Unfortunate Events, did not disappoint. Season two could not get here faster.
