Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Disclaimer: Spoilers. Kind of. I think. They’re not really spoiler spoilers because they don’t give away much. I sort of allude to stuff. You know what this ain’t my struggle; I’ve seen the film already, you should too.

Cast:

Asa Butterfield* – Jake Portman

Ella Purnell – Emma

Eva Green – Miss Peregrine

Samuel L Jackson – Mr. Barron

Judi Dench – Miss Avocet

Chris O’Dowd – Franklin Portman

Plot:

Jake has grown up with wild bedtime stories about his grandfather’s childhood. He’s heard about the peculiar and wonderful children his grandfather lived with at Miss Peregrine’s home. So in the wake of his grandfather’s death, Jake sets out to Wales, from America, to find out more about grandfather’s life there.

Through a little magic and circumstance Jake is able to find Miss Peregrine’s home. It turns out to be as full of life and personality as Jake’s grandfather described.  One person that stands out, in particular, is Emma and we see a connection form between her and Jake. All that self-contained bliss doesn’t last long because danger soon arrives and of course our protagonist is tasked with saving the day.

It’s a familiar story of the unexpected hero rising up to help those around him, even though the odds are not in their favour. However, there’s the addition of kids with quirky powers and abilities makes the story a little unique.

Loves:

• Some of the peculiar powers the kids have are pretty interesting, for instance, the kid that can project his foretelling dreams is pretty cool** and Emma’s ability to manipulate air.

• The visuals were beautiful at Miss Peregrine’s home because Tim Burton knows how to make a scene look picturesque; the garden especially. It actually reminds me of Edward Scissor Hands.

• There’s a particular montage at the end of the film in which Jake has a lot of outfits and hair styles – the only word for it is perfection.

• The way the film manipulates with time is very concept which I wasn’t aware was part of the film’s narrative.

Loathes:

• The beginning of the film is set in America where Jake comes to terms with his grandfather’s death. This part of the film feels awkward and a bit stilted like it’s impatiently waiting to get to the real heart of the film.

• Some of the dialogue is cheesy and stiff; I could predict some of it without even really trying. This is surprising as it’s an adaption of a book which has material to rely on.

• The romance between Jake and Emma was expected*** and built on next to nothing as is the norm in Hollywood. It’s also a little odd but I won’t say why – you’ll work that out for yourselves.

• The characters feel a little flat – this includes Jake which is a shame because in other projects Asa has delivered great performances. Dare I call it the Tim Burton effect? As a director knows how to make beautiful films but I’ve found his characters don’t deliver as much as the visuals do.

Favourite Line:

Emma: You don’t have to make us feel safe, because you’ve made us feel brave.

 

Final Rating:  because they tried

 

*my motivation for watching this film

**although it could be extremely problematic

***although it’s cute because Asa and Ella are a couple in real life.

 

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