[Movie] Strange Children And Dark Secrets! Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016)

A story about strange children secluded from society (for their safety) and living together on a remote island reminds me of the mutants in the X-Men films. The movie under review caught my attention because it was directed by Tim Burton, a filmmaker known for pioneering gothic horrors and dark fantasy films.

Unlike the mutants whose abilities are genetic and their story sci-fi, the oddness of the children in Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016) is supernatural and what we would term in real life as freaks. Written by Jane Goldman based on the novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs, and directed by Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is a gothic fantasy starring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Rupert Everett, Samuel L Jackson, Judi Dench and other supporting actors.

The movie focuses on Jake (Asa Butterfield), a teenager who grew up listening to strange stories from his grandfather. His grandfather told him about children with unusual abilities and monsters that nobody else could see. As Jake got older, those stories became easier to dismiss as the fantasies of an old man. Then something happens that makes him question everything.

Jake follows the clues left behind and travels to a remote island where he discovers the ruins of Miss Peregrine's home. But the home is not as abandoned as it first appears. Jake soon finds himself transported into the past where he meets Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) and the peculiar children his grandfather once told him about. The children are “peculiar” in every sense of the word. One girl floats away unless she wears heavy shoes, another has incredible strength and one boy has bees living inside him. Then there is the child whose second mouth is hidden behind her head.

There is one major complication. These children are trapped inside a time loop, living the same day over and over again. Miss Peregrine protects them from the outside world and from creatures that would like nothing more than to destroy. Who leads these wicked creatures and why are they after the peculiar children? Can Jake save them in honour of his grandfather?

My Review And Rating

I have not read the book adapted into this movie so I cannot say if the adaptation is good but the plot and storytelling makes this film interesting in a gothic way. I enjoyed the early part the most because of the sense of discovery. Every time Jake learns something new about the house or its residents, I wanted to know more too.

The peculiar children are the heart of the movie but the film does not spend enough time developing their personalities. Their abilities are strange in ways that make them memorable. They are creepy, funny and disturbing at the same time. I have to give the movie credit for creating something that is strange and making it feel perfectly normal within its world.

Eva Green was a perfect choice for Miss Peregrine. She has the presence needed for the role. Miss Peregrine is caring towards the children but she is also firm and protective. Samuel L Jackson as Barron brings plenty of personality to the role of one of the villains. Asa Butterfield did okay as Jake but in a room full of peculiar children who are far more visually interesting, he did not hold much impact. His relationship with Emma (Ella Purnell) does not receive enough emotional development.

The film's biggest weakness is that it becomes too busy and spends quite some time explaining its rules that the mystery sometimes loses its magic. There are time loops, special abilities, supernatural beings, hidden identities and rules about how everything works. Instead of letting the audience take in some of these ideas naturally, we have to focus on the rules rather than enjoy the mystery.

Still, these flaws did not stop me from enjoying this gothic fantasy. Burton understands how to make the unusual visually appealing. I liked the gloomy atmosphere, the old house, the strange photographs, the monsters and the feeling that something dangerous was always hiding close by.

The settings and visuals make the world vivid and mysterious. Some scenes are especially memorable because Burton allows the images to do the work. The underwater scenes have a dreamlike quality while the darker moments involving the invisible creatures bring the unease you feel when watching a horror film. The contrast between childhood innocence and horror works well throughout the movie.

Rating the movie, I'd give it 7 out of 10 stars. Despite the flaws, I enjoyed it for the atmosphere, story and strange characters.