Last weekend the highly anticipated movie adaptation of the Ransom Riggs bestselling novel, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, hit the screens. Tangled, whimsical, and absolutely peculiar, the film is quintessentially Burton-esque.
The story follows Jake Portman’s (Asa Butterfield) journey into the looped world of “peculiar” children with abilities beyond imagination. Whether it be exhaling bees, controlling air, or reanimating the dead, Miss Peregrine’s children can do it all. Using what he learned from his late grandfather’s (Terence Stamp) bedtime stories, Jake expertly pieces together the clues and finds himself on a little island near Wales on September 3rd of 1943. Seeking answers about his grandfather’s mysterious death, he meets the birdlike Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), the headmistress and protector of an…. unordinary orphanage stuck permanently in the past. Deciding to stay with them a few days, Jake learns the role his grandfather played in the orphanage, who and what was responsible for his death, and his newfound peculiarity. With the combined forces of Miss Peregrine and the children, he sets off to defeat the mysterious group behind the whole mess.
While baroque intertwining story-lines are characteristic to Tim Burton’s films, the second half of the movie went a bit overboard, spiraling into a frenzy of unexplained events. The movie starts off slow and suspenseful, taking the time to provide a comprehensive foundation for the audience to understand the nuances in the dynamic within the home and between the characters. Although this was much needed, a smooth transition between the exposition and the more action-centered part of the plot was what was lacking. After a fairly long yet still fascinating portion on the daily lives of the peculiars, the focus immediately and almost abruptly shifts to leaving the orphanage and defeating the villain. From there on, the last half hour of the film is packed with energy and elaborate plans of attack. While it is amazing to see the children and their abilities in action, the time travel aspect of the story line becomes almost impossible to follow.
In terms of casting, I don’t have too many complaints. Despite the abundance of characters, each actor skillfully develops their individual personas throughout the film, retaining the ever-so-important peculiarity of their roles, and ensuring that each character is memorable. Eva Green really stands out in this sense, pulling you in with her brusque yet incredibly endearing remarks while of course completely owning her character’s gothic, sharp, and vampy sense of style, making it seem as though the character was in fact just written for her. Samuel L. Jackson on the other hand effortlessly portrays a twist on the classic mad-scientist, somehow simultaneously exuding terror and ludicrous charm through his performance of the unhinged Mr. Barron. Ella Purnell doesn’t allow her character’s airy abilities to influence her attitude, remaining as grounded as her intricate lead boots. Unfortunately, the one character I did find a bit underwhelming was Jake. Although I highly regard and admire Asa Butterfield’s work, his performance in this particular film just seemed to be missing something. His acting was not terrible in the slightest, he simply didn’t seem to add the individual flair needed to improve on his character.
Lastly, I just wanted to address the beautiful cinematography and visual design of the film. Where it may have been lacking in other areas, the cinematography definitely made up for it. Eccentric, thoughtfully embellished, and beautifully detailed sets perfectly paired with Burton’s idiosyncratic and unconventional cinematographic perspectives transport you to a different world all together. The one thing that I did make note of however was the occasional over-exaggerated colour correction in some parts of the film. While Jake was in the present, dull grays and cool, dreary blue tones made their way on to the screen. When he was at the orphanage, these cooler tones immediately morphed into vibrant golds, warm greens, and lively reds. Other than that, the cinematography played a crucial and satisfying role in the advancement of the film.
Overall, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the perfect family-friendly fall flick. Whimsical, gothic, and endearing, the film pays homage to the likes of Harry Potter and X-Men, and is sure to remind you about the utmost importance of staying peculiar.
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