“A Series of Unfortunate Events” begins with a warning: “The movie you’re about to see is extremely unpleasant,” the voice of Lemony Snicket explains as the camera pans a dreary graveyard. The narrator continues to offer the audience one last chance to walk out and see a more pleasant movie. Of course, this reverse psychology only draws the audience deeper into the dismal tale.

This is one of those movies in which, if anything bad can happen, it does. It is the tale of the Baudelaire children, 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and one-year-old Sunny, who, right after the opening credits, lose their parents in a terrible house fire. Their situation goes from bad to worse because the villainous Count Olaf (played brilliantly by Jim Carrey) will stop at nothing to acquire the great fortune the Baudelaire orphans are set to inherit.

In one sense, the mood is depressing. From giant snakes to man-eating leeches to incapable guardians, the Baudelaire children face every type of unfortunate event. As an audience, we are made to sympathize with their grief and feel their frustration at the clueless adults unwilling to help them.

Yet the movie is not without its share of humor or hope. Sunny constantly amuses us with her hilarious subtitled comments, and together the siblings are able to find the strength to overcome their dire circumstances. In the end, this is what makes “A Series of Unfortunate Events” not quite so unpleasant to watch after all.