[yasr_overall_rating]
When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.
Tim Burton takes a break from his usual dark and twisted plots to create this unusual tale. Based on a novel by Ransom Riggs, the movie uses dramatic license to create a spectacular rendition of the book without obsessing over details. Normally, I prefer the novel to the movie, but in this instance, the book and film are equally engaging despite character changes and new scenes. Every change made was a tribute to the tone of the novel and an understandable in reference to the plot. Eva Green, who portrays Miss Peregrine, is captivating in her role as the headmistress, clearly the star. Jake, played by Asa Butterfield, is a plausible choice and decently depicted.
Jake Portman grew up in Florida with his parents and large extended family, with his grandfather as the dominant influence in his otherwise dull life. Very little of his life is displayed in a meaningful manner before his paternal grandfather Abe dies under unusual circumstances. Jake finds his Grandfather as he takes his last breath with just enough heartbeats left to give his grandson hard to follow clues to find Miss Peregrine and her home for children. Distraught from his favorite person dying, his emotionally distant parents force him into psychiatric appointments with Dr. Golan, who appears empathetic to Jake’s loss. With the doctor’s encouragement, Mr. Portman accompanies his son to Wales to chase after the wild clues and photographs left behind by his grandfather.
As the foggy coast of the tiny island appears in the distance, the father and son spot a bird escorting them to land. Once on land, the odd mannerisms and lifestyles of the Welsh locals lead them to different activities as Jake and his snotty tour guides seek out the Home for Peculiar Children. The stately mansion, left to ruins from a bomb raid in September of 1943, leaves Jake forlorn that his grandfather’s clues have brought him on a wild goose chase. When he visits the ramshackle property again, children under Miss Peregrines tutelage seek him out and drag him back to the day the world war dropped the bomb on the estate. Now his real journey begins as he dives deep into his grandfather’s past to take his place.
Acutely familiar with ordinary life, with few surprises except for his mother’s yearly ‘surprise party,’ Jake takes to peculiar life with astonishing grace and poise. Introductions to the strange schoolmarm and freakish students fail to perturb Jake’s logical senses which have already been drowned in years of fantastical bedtime stories from Abe, which appear to be true or a very realistic delusion. The fun begins as Jake meets Emma, who can control air, Olive, who can control fire, and Enoch, who brings new life to inanimate objects. Next up is Claire, a beautiful little girl in pink with a mouth on the back of her head, a charming and well dressed invisible boy, a debonair boy who can share his prophetic dreams, and Bronwyn, who has more strength than ten men. Sadly, the young girl’s brother Victor, remains a morbid reminder that life is not perfect as a peculiar. Miss Peregrine herself is capable of fulfilling her name by shapeshifting into a bird along with the ability to manipulate time.
After exploring the curiosities around the pristine estates, Jake finds himself falling irrevocably in love with the life lived by the peculiar children and drawn to his grandfather’s former love interest, Emma. Slowly Jake pieces together the missing parts of his grandfather’s tales and the mysterious circumstances of his death and how those events pertain to the misfit children. When a group of Peculiar People turned into rotten rogues seeking immortality, the lives of all other Peculiars became endangered. Jake finds his unique fit into the team as he helps to save all of their lives when another headmistress bird in distress seeks sanctuary with Miss Peregrine. With imminent danger lurking, Jake finds the strength to use his new abilities to work with the children in a showdown with hungry villains. Samuel L. Jackson serves his role of evil mastermind with hilarious nefarious antics as he seeks to take the powers of birds to increase his group’s lifespans. The children, left to fight their own battles when their headmistress is kidnapped, take ingenuity to a new level as they draw attention to themselves in an amusement park to spar with their enemies.
Miss Peregrine’s is a unique tale which gracefully strays from the mold. Some scenes were vivid to the point of potentially causing nightmares with gruesome creatures, especially if the movie is viewed in 3D. Distracted by the stark differences between the film and novel, I was still able to appreciate the show separately. Children will find themselves in awe of a world as fantastical as Harry Potter’s as vintage picture parade around. The movie relies heavily on lively characters and fantastic wonders to keep interest as the story seems to be missing a crucial dimension more readily found in the reading. The movie arrives in Cinemas on September 30th and I would highly suggest viewing it in 3D as oddities are truly highlighted in this format.
In theaters Friday, September 30th
