If you loved the books, you needn't fear disappointment! The tone stays very true to irreverent comedic melancholy of the books, and is supported technically by the sets and lighting (like a city immediately after a rainstorm, generally damp and gloomy but especially vivid at the same time).
Note that all characters are closer to two-dimensional caricatures than actual people. This is, however, in line with the book series, where the 'writer' reports facts and events with emotional distance. I believe this was designed to allows readers the room to marvel at the utter ridiculousness of all the adults, and at the inventive perseverance of the Baudelaire children, while still preserving the central overarching mystery. This strategy works great in print, but doesn't translate quite as well to the screen.
For myself, the dark humour and Neil Patrick Harris's portrayal of the frankly outrageous Count Olaf more than made up for flat characters, but if neither the author's dark humour nor NPH is your thing, then ymmv.
Shout by MadanakaBlockedParent2017-05-09T00:34:35Z
If you loved the books, you needn't fear disappointment! The tone stays very true to irreverent comedic melancholy of the books, and is supported technically by the sets and lighting (like a city immediately after a rainstorm, generally damp and gloomy but especially vivid at the same time).
Note that all characters are closer to two-dimensional caricatures than actual people. This is, however, in line with the book series, where the 'writer' reports facts and events with emotional distance. I believe this was designed to allows readers the room to marvel at the utter ridiculousness of all the adults, and at the inventive perseverance of the Baudelaire children, while still preserving the central overarching mystery. This strategy works great in print, but doesn't translate quite as well to the screen.
For myself, the dark humour and Neil Patrick Harris's portrayal of the frankly outrageous Count Olaf more than made up for flat characters, but if neither the author's dark humour nor NPH is your thing, then ymmv.