Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is an adaptation of Ransom Riggs' dark young adult novel that's all about the rejected X-Men, it's worth noting that Miss Peregrine's home feels in the same vein as Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters seen in the X-Men films, television series, and comics. In all seriousness, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children follows Jake's discovery of a safe haven for gifted individuals, although their peculiarities are much less desirable than the Mutant-X gene, in which the guardian loops time for the inhabitants's protection and they must live the same day over and over again.
Quite fittingly, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is nothing but peculiar and that's not really too surprising with Tim Burton directing. I'll admit I was a little concerned with his involvement, assessing his more recent work like Dark Shadows and Alice in Wonderland, but based on the trailers felt that he might be the perfect match for the material contemplating how bizarre it is. I will say that my thoughts were justified as he proved the material was ideal for him with the third act, which I'd say was the most Tim Burton-esque portion of a film I had ever bore witness to.
The visual effects were fairly good for the most part, the scenery and costuming were certainly Burton, and the film was shot well by director of photography Bruno Delbonnel. However, the first two acts of the film just didn't feel right. For instance, the opening credits have a direct cut to the film's beginning and it was so jarring considering the audio went from epic full score title card to silent shot of Florida. From this point on, the introduction is told non-chronologically in a confusing manner, it starts in the present goes back to some flashbacks, then flash forwards three weeks from the present day. I think chronologically, the film's starting point would have gelled more smoothly.
I don't know if these problems lie in the original source material or the script but I must say I'm disappointed in screenwriter Jane Goldman taking into account that she was responsible for both Kingsman: The Secret Service and X-Men: First Class's screenplays and I love both films dearly. Goldman just didn't craft a compelling protagonist in the least bit and had difficulty properly servicing all the peculiar children.
The ensemble includes varied portrayals with a set of interesting supporting characters and a bland lead. Asa Butterfield has some of the most awkward line delivery I've seen in recent memory and finds it challenging to breathe life into Jake, a stale one-dimensional character. Eva Green plays Miss Peregrine, a gothic guardian with uncompromising dedication to the peculiar children, and Green is fantastic when onscreen as macabre Mary Poppins.
The peculiar children were all delightful and I wish I could have seen more from them but all receive time in the limelight. The roster includes Ella Purnell's buoyant Emma Bloom, Finlay MacMillan's disturbing Enoch, Lauren McCrostie's corrosive Olive, Hayden Keeler Stone's clairvoyant Horace, Georgia Pemberton's green fingered Fiona, Milo Parker's literal beekeeper Hugh, Raffiella Chapman's actual hair brained (or more aptly hair mouthed) Claire, Pixie Davies' robust Bronwyn, and the set of sinister twins played by Joseph and Thomas Odwell.
Samuel L. Jackson's antagonistic force is cheesy to the max. I'd equate Jackson's Barron to Samuel L. Jackson's persona in the Capital One Quiksilver Cash Back Card commercials amped up to an 11, that's how unrestrained he was in the role. I also quite liked seeing appearances from Judi Dench and Chris O' Dowd. Another subject worth indicating is the uninspired score from Michael Higham and Matthew Margeson that occasionally sounded familiar to John Williams' classic works.
While it may seem like I didn't take a liking to the film, it was actually a guilty pleasure. I enjoyed it more than expected and am completely aware of it's faults but can't help but laugh at the more corny bits. I can recommend Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children to diehard Tim Burton fans and anyone fascinated by the marketing material, novel and other unconventional works. I would be careful with bringing children to see it considering the dark subject matter that might be a little too intense. Though Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children may not be a return to form for Burton, it's a step in the right direction and I'd be up to return to this world in the event of a sequel or spinoff.
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