The 3 children are amazing, each one possessing a special talent. Violet (Emily Browning) is the oldest and her special talent is to invent things in a pinch. The middle child is Klaus (Liam Asken) a rapid reader with a thirst for knowledge and a photographic memory. The baby sister Sunny (actually played by twins Kara and Shelly Hollman) has sharp teeth and a propensity to bite hard and hold on. Subtitles are used to translate her baby talk. The acting by these 3 children was terrific.

Jim Carey is wild playing Count Olaf and a number of other characters in the movies. This lavish production is full of superb special effects and a lot of strange characters in unusual costumes. The books provide a built in audience but it should prove pleasant for both young and old. Be sure to stay through the end credits for more fun stuff.