Old vs. New - A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004 vs. 2017)

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and it's been too long since I did an Old vs. New, so I thought I'd make one on two very different adaptations of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Based on the book series by Lemony Snicket (pen name for author Daniel Handler), this franchise tells the story of orphaned siblings Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire and their various run-ins with a villainous stage actor named Count Olaf, who seels their vast fortune. Filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld was involved with the development of both adaptations of the books, in the forms of a 2004 movie released by Paramount, DreamWorks, and Nickelodeon, and a 2017 series released by Netflix. Sonnenfeld would direct multiple episodes of the series, while the movie would be directed by Brad Silberling. 

        Both adaptations do a good job of adapting the books, but which one is better overall? Let's break them down to find out. 

             BEST LEAD CAST- Okay, so both the movie and the series have great leading cast members, with the movie having Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Emily Browning as Violet, Liam Aiken as Klaus, and twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman as Sunny. Each one does a good job, especially with Browning and Aiken as Violet and Klaus. The Netflix series, likewise, is well cast, with Neil Patrick Harris as Olaf, Malina Weissman as Violet, Louis Hynes as Klaus, and Presley Smith as Sunny. Much like with Browning and Aiken, Weissman and Hynes are fantastic as Violet and Klaus. Also, for her young age Presley Smith was fantastic as Sunny, whereas Kara and Shelby Hoffman's take on Sunny was, well, just there. But to me, the real deciding point is in the portrayal of Count Olaf. Jim Carrey, who is a personal hero of mine, was hysterical as Count Olaf, showing off his skills at improv, while also showing his range from being funny to being menacing almost seamlessly. However, I think he got too into the funny side a bit. On the other hand, Neil Patrick Harris delved more into his Broadway skills for his portrayal of Olaf, coming off as more theatrical. Also, while the kids see through his many disguises in both adaptations, the movie version felt too obvious, whereas the Netflix series version gelt a bit more vague, with NPH using his range to produce unique voices that stand out with each disguise. Carrey does this as well, but his face jus stands out against the makeup, so it's easy to see it's him. Tough decision, but I'm going with the Netflix series on this one, mostly because the characters were more fleshed out. WINNER: 2017 Version

          BEST SUPPORTING CAST - Now, this is interesting, as both adaptations have an excellent supporting cast. In the movie, we have the likes of Timothy Spall as Mr. Poe, Catherine O'Hara as Justice Strauss, Billy Connolly as Uncle Monty, Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine, Cedric the Entertainer as a Police Constable, and Dustin Hoffman as a theater critic, with Olaf's theater troupe being portrayed by Luis Guzman, Jane Adams, Jamie Harris, Jennifer Coolidge, and Craig Ferguson. In the Netflix series, we have a larger supporting cast with K. Todd Freeman as Mr. Poe, Joan Cusack as Justice Strauss, Aasif Mandvi as Uncle Monty, Alfred Woodard as Aunt Josephine, Sara Canning as Jacqueline, Nathan Fillion as Jacques Snicket, Patrick Breen as Larry-Your-Waiter, Catherine O'Hara as Dr. Orwell, Don Johnson as Sir, Rhys Darby as Charles, Roger Bart as Vice Principal Nero, Tony Hale as Jerome Squalor, Lucy Punch as Esme Squalor, David Alan Grier as Hal, Sara Rue as Olivia Caliban, Allison Williams as Kit Snicket, Peter MacNicol as Ishmael, Morena Baccarin as Beatrice, and many more including Richard E. Grant, Robbie Amell, Max Greenfield, Beth Grant, Ken Jenkins, Mindy Sterling, and so on, with Olaf's theater troupe portrayed by Usman Ally, John DeSantis, Matty Cardarople, and twins Jacqueline and Joyce Robbins. Lastly, in the role of Lemony Snicket, we have Jude Law in the movie and Patrick Warburton in the Netflix series. Again a tough decision, because while we have a larger and more fleshed out supporting cast in the Netflix version, the movie version has a cast that is also phenomenal. Also, we see in the movie that Mr. Poe does care about the Baudelaire children, whereas the Netflix version just cares about his job at the bank. Yeesh. It's really tough, but I'm going with the Netflix version again, simply because of three individuals: Patrick Warburton, Nathan Fillion, and Morena Baccarin. WINNER: 2017 Version

         BEST MUSIC - Okay, so here's where it gets interesting, because here we have two music scores by two of my favorite film composers: Thomas Newman and James Newton Howard. In the movie, Newman gives a whimsical yet mysterious score, adding to the whimsical yet mysterious setting of the world the film is set in. In the Netflix series, Howard is among a group of composers who ALSO give a whimsical yet mysterious tone to the music. However, in this instance, I'm going with Thomas Newman, whose film score fit well with the unique world the film was showcasing. The work by Howard and the others was great, and fit the world of the Netflix series, but it didn't convey the same feeling as the film score. Although, having NPH sing the opening theme song for the series was a nice touch. WINNER: 2004 Version. 

           BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - Again, this is interesting, because we have two examples of excellent set and costume design. In the movie, the production designer was Rick Heinrichs, with costumes designed by Colleen Atwood. The Netflix series, in turn, had Bo Welch as production designer, with Angus Strathie and Cynthia Ann Summers acting as costume designers. Now, while the combined efforts of Welch, Strathie, and Summers did a great job in conveying the world of the Netflix series, it felt more mundane and something akin to the works of Wes Anderson. Now, don't get me wrong, the Netflix series looks amazing, especially with locations like Caligari Carnival, Hotel Denouement, and 667 Dark Avenue. However, it felt limited by the budget of a streaming television series. The movie, however, stands out much more. Heinrichs and Atwood made a world that felt surreal and otherworldly, like something Tim Burton would have designed for an Amblin production. On top of that, Industrial Light & Magic nailed it with the movie's visual effects, whilst Zoic Studios did a decent job with the show's visual effects. Ultimately, I think that it comes down to the cinematography, which for the movie was done by Emmanuel Lubezki aka Chivo, and for the Netflix series was done by Bernard Couture and Todd Elyzen. Now, while Couture and Elyzen definitely delivered a world that felt like the books, Chivo delivered a world that felt unique, like something out of a Gothic dream. So, I'm going with the movie on this one. WINNER: 2004 Version.

          MOST FAITHFUL TO THE BOOKS- Unfortunately, this is where the Netflix series gets the upper hand, as the movie was based on the first three books only, whereas the Netflix series adapted all thirteen books in the series. Now, as for which one adapted the first three books the best, I gotta go with the Netflix series here. Because, despite the better production design, costume design, music score, visual effects, and cinematography, the movie has a problem. You see, the screenwriters for the movie decided to remove the endings of the books "The Reptile Room" and "The Wide Window" completely, move the ending of "The Bad Beginning" to take place AFTER the events of "The Wide Window," and create a brand new sequence exclusively for the film, where Count Olaf locks the Baudelaires in his car, which is parked on the train tracks with a train fast approaching. The Netflix series, however, does alter a few things, such as where the Baudelaires make their way to Lucky Smells Lumber Mill on their own, as opposed to the book "The Miserable Mill" where Mr. Poe sends them there. 

Now, I am a massive fan of the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and I enjoyed both the movie and the Netflix series. However, the movie comes off as an abridged take on the story of the Baudelaires, and we never got to see where it ended. The Netflix series, conversely, tells the full story, and ends with a satisfying note where the Baudelaires are off to parts unknown, the Quagmire siblings are reunited, Olaf's theater troupe gets the happy ending as they focused on their stage acting, Fernald the Hook-Handed man and his sister Fiona find their stepfather, Captain Widdershins, and Lemony Snicket finally meets his niece, Beatrice Baudelaire II. So, although the movie version never got to tell the full story, I gotta give this round to the Netflix series. WINNER: 2017 Version.

        So, by a split decision of 3-2, it looks like the Netflix version of A Series of Unfortunate Events is the better adaptation overall. Now, that isn't to sell the 2004 movie version short, as I still enjoy it to this day. But, overall, the Netflix version feels the most like Daniel Handler's vision from the books. But, that's just my opinion. What do you guys think? Have you seen EITHER version of A Series of Unfortunate Events? If you haven't, definitely check out both and decide for yourself which is the better adaptation. 

       Anyway guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I will see you guys later.