I should preface this review by stating that I have not read any of the books upon which this movie is based; everything I know about the books comes secondhand from my wife and brother-in-law. Apparently, this film covers the events in the first three books in the series. My wife thought the movie did an excellent job of capturing the spirit of the books. My brother-in-law did not. For my own part, I think the movie was very entertaining. It was light enough to be fun (and funny), but with a dark quality that provided a certain depth to the story. In that respect it was somewhat reminiscent of a Tim Burton film. All of the actors did a good job, even Meryl Streep, who I usually can't stand. Jim Carrey was, of course, the real star of the show. (You could tell that from the trailers though, couldn't you?) He managed to be simultaneously hilariously hammy and truly sinister. I hope that this won't become a giant Hollywood franchise, though. I enjoyed the film, and with eleven books in the series there is clearly more to cover, but the film as made is neatly self-contained, and I just don't trust the studios to make a sequel that wouldn't be repetitive and boring.

Viewed: 12/25/2004 | Released: 12/16/2006 | Score: B

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