TV: "A Series of Unfortunate Events"

Knowing the story and characters from the books, I was a bit concerned when sitting down to watch episode one of the series because - via the trailer - I had come to think that Neil Patrick Harris looked more like Neil Patrick Harris in prosthetic makeup, goofing around, than Count Olaf.  If nothing else, he just seemed too short and too young for the role, and nowhere near dramatically menacing enough.  Then I hit play on Netflix and the look, style, even theme song of episode one immediately felt just like the novels.  A great sign!  Not being the biggest Patrick Warburton fan, his constant stepping into the scene or narrating over it in episode one, playing Lemony Snicket, started to feel intrusive.  But sitting back and watching, the more I saw the more I liked.  The show, first off, most definitely gets full marks for recreating the gloom-and-doom dark humor of the books.  Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, and Presley Smith come off precisely as you'd expect Violet, Klaus and baby Sunny (respectively) to be.  Even Warburton/Lemony Snicket seemed to blend in more than intrude, after awhile, and Joan Cusack was wonderful (but isn't she always?) as the high-court lady judge living across the street.  By the time Count Olaf's rather batty theatrical troupe was introduced I was enjoying myself, and while I still wish Harris were a bit more menacing and melodramatic, as Olaf is in the books, I admit that by the end of episode one I was hooked.  I know it should be any kindhearted reviewer's duty to steer you away from such a sad, gloomy tale like that of the Baudelaire orphans - but honestly, especially if enjoyed the novels, this adaptation is too good to miss.  (Netflix)  A-