Dark lives of Sunny and co

Klaus, Sunny and Violet find the world a cruel place after their parents are killed in a fire.

In the opening scenes of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, 14-year-old Violet Baudelaire, her 12-year-old brother Klaus and toddler sister Sunny are told their parents have been killed in a house fire. The message comes from a mysterious man who appears from the fog while the kids are playing beside a dark and gloomy lake.

There is little colour. The scenery is stark and surreal. The news of the deaths sets off a chain reaction of bad events for the Baudelaire children as their distant relative, the vile Count Olaf, played by comedian Jim Carrey, attempts to kill them and steal the inheritance their wealthy parents left.

There are plenty of laughs in this dark comedy. There are also some not-so-pleasant issues. In one scene the dastardly Count Olaf slaps Klaus across the face.

In another, Sunny is locked in a steel cage and hung from the top of a building while Violet is forced to marry the much older Count Olaf so he can legally take ownership of the inheritance. If Violet does not go through with the wedding, Sunny will crash to the ground.

This is not SpongeBob SquarePants. But it is expected to have children lining up at the box office.

At an advance screening in Hollywood's famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre, hundreds of children and their parents queued for hours for a chance to see the film, with most turned away because there were not enough seats.

Based on the first three of 11 books in the Lemony Snicket series, the film already has a big built-in audience, with almost 30 million copies sold worldwide.

Though some scenes and themes are dark, the film's director, Brad Silberling, says the way Violet, Klaus and Sunny take on and beat the wicked adults is what appeals to kids and made Lemony Snicket's books almost as popular as the Harry Potter phenomenon.

The three Baudelaire children each have a talent that, when working together, saves them no matter what predicament they find themselves in.

Violet, played by 16-year-old Melbourne schoolgirl Emily Browning, is an inventor who creates life-saving contraptions in seconds and other fun items, such as a bed that makes itself.

Klaus (New York-born 14-year-old Liam Aiken) is an avid reader with an endless amount of knowledge. He has an instant answer to any problem.

Sunny (San Diego twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman) has razor sharp teeth that bite through anything.

"The fantastical element of these stories is that the kids are always victorious," Silberling says. "They have to come up against the most extreme examples of cruelty, but the kids always manage to be hopeful and resourceful.

"They are examples of kids who use their talents and resources to get past the minefield of adults and I think that's what kids really love."

Both Silberling and Carrey, the rubber-faced star of some of Hollywood's most successful comedies - Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar, Liar and Bruce Almighty - defend the dark themes in the film.

Most adults, they say, grew up reading or watching the tales spun by the Brothers Grimm and were moved by the pain in Oliver Twist.

"What about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with the child kidnapper character?" Carrey asks.

"That freaked me out when I was a kid, but I loved it. I loved creepy fun when I was a kid."

Count Olaf's character wears a number of disguises to trick the children and the adults trying to protect them, but it is only the kids who recognise Count Olaf, while the adults are fooled.

"I love the idea Count Olaf thinks the children are so stupid they would never recognise him in a million years," Carrey says.

"The gist of this piece of material is that no one believes the kids but they immediately nail him every time out. I think that's a really cool thing that comes from the books."

The slapping scene is the most controversial.

Klaus and his siblings have been kidnapped by Count Olaf and locked away in his creepy, filthy mansion. Count Olaf strikes Klaus across the face with an open hand.

Browning, who celebrated her 16th birthday in Los Angeles while promoting the film, says children won't be traumatised.

"I can understand how some people might feel a little bit uncomfortable about that, but I don't think it's going to scare kids," says Browning.

"I don't think it's going to teach kids to be violent in any way because kids are going to see that the bad guy is doing it ...

"I think it's a good thing to show because unfortunately it happens in real life and I'm pretty sure kids know it happens."

There were discussions between Carrey, Silberling and the movie's producers about dropping the scene, which also takes place in the book. Carrey fought to keep it and won.

"There was controversy as to whether to have that in the movie or not and I said, 'You know what? Bambi dies, dudes. Bambi dies'," Carrey says.

"In most really great movies that connect with people there's some kind of tragedy involved and some kind of pain.

"It is a strange kind of balance we are striking here. I'm not sure if it's been done this way before. Although I want to be entertaining, the bottom line is Olaf is a [expletive].

"Okay, for the kids' version, Olaf is not a nice person.

"He has to be that way. I said to them [the producers and director] early on, 'I want them to laugh, but at the same time the danger has to be real or we have nothing.' The movie is meaningless without real danger."

So what should be the age limit of the child audience?

Silberling says kids aged from eight up should be able to watch it, although he adds that maturity levels are different from child to child.

"I wouldn't bring your four-year-old maybe," Carrey says. "I think that it is more than just entertainment.

"It is entertaining and funny, but at the same time, as the books did, I'm hoping the movie taps into something that is going on with young kids and teenagers."

On screen

* What: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

* Where and when: In cinemas from Thursday

- AAP