Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Review of MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN: Another Arcane Academy

October 3, 2016




Tim Burton is really a film director with a distinct flavor in his vision. Dark, gothic, quirky are the adjectives which are always used to describe his films, be they live action or animated. He started with "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985) and "Beetlejuice" (1988). He then reinvented "Batman" (1989) to be the grim and angst-ridden superhero we know today. 

He was perfect for stories like "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), "Sleepy Hollow" (1999) and "Sweeney Todd" (2007). Even his animated projects have a macabre look: "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), "Corpse Bride" (2005) and "Frankenweenie" (2012). Under his hands, previously lighthearted children's literature like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) and "Alice in Wonderland" (2010) turned into bizarre visual treats. 

It seemed so natural that the film version of this book entitled "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs, which tells about an orphanage where kids with special powers live, fell into directorial lap of Tim Burton. I have not read the book so I am just judging this film as itself, not as an adaptation.

Set in the present day in a Florida town, Jake Portman had always been very close to his grandfather Franklin. He was enthralled by his Grandpa's fantastic stories about his childhood and his extraordinary friends. One day, Jacob witnesses his grandfather was attacked and killed in his home by what looked like a lanky long-limbed giant monster.

To recover from his trauma, Jacob traveled to an island in Wales where his grandfather spent his youth. By some strange loop of time, Jacob actually got to meet the enigmatic Miss Peregrine and visit her fascinating Home for Peculiar Children that his grandfather had been telling him about in his stories. When the vile Mr. Barron and his monsters attack the Home one day, Jacob gets caught in the action, and discovers an special power of his own. 

Eva Green, a most unexpected actress to see in a film for young audiences, played a very confident Miss Peregrine, a Gothic Mary Poppins of sorts with a crossbow instead of an umbrella. Asa Butterworth has that intangible factor which could make viewers empathize with him and relate to his adventures as Jake, no matter how weird they get. Terence Stamp may have too stern a face to be a loving grandfather, but his scenes with Butterworth were actually quite heartwarming. The ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson does his hammy comic despicable best as the main antagonist Mr. Barron.

Among the titular Peculiar Children, the aero-kinetic Emma Bloom was the most prominent, played by Ella Purnell. Predictably, there would be a young romance angle between Emma and Jake, though I thought there was not much chemistry between Purnell and Butterworth. The other kids would all get their chance to display their abilities, notably the plant-controlling Fiona (Georgia Pemberton) and the life-restoring Finlay MacMillan (Enoch O'Connor). My personal favorite was the super-strong Bronwyn Buntley played by the very cute child actress Pixie Davies.

The storyline about a school of kids with special abilities is already too common. Hugely successful film franchises had featuring such schools, like Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters (the X-Men series) and Hogwarts (Harry Potter series). Anyhow, as expected, the film was an extravaganza of computer-generated special effects, best seen on the big screen. I enjoyed the scenes which introduced the kids and their abilities, though these were too short and superficial. I also enjoyed that climactic battle at the fairgrounds between the kids, the skeletons and the monsters, but this had a rushed feel. 

Though I am not exactly a fan of his ghoulish films, Tim Burton's stamp was clearly seen in this one, even without Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. Only Burton can do a morbid scene about eating eyeballs, and still manage to make it look oddly delightful. 6/10.


16 comments:

  1. I am not satisfied with how the story went as there were a lot of changes from the characters itself to the way they told the story. But I can't complain, even though they gave a different setting and characters, at least I was able to appreciate another Tim Burton movie.

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  2. Hmmm, from the trailer, I've always wanted to watch this. Maybe tomorrow is a great time. And this could be a sign. Although, I am a little doubtful coz of the 6/10 rating.

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  3. Tim Burton's movie are just epic. I think it gets better now with the technology available compared to how it was decades ago like in Edward Scissorhands.

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  4. I was so intrigued when I watched the trailer for this! Kind of surprised at the semi-low rating :O

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  5. I dunno. Sounds a bit like Harry Potter!!! Peculiarly I haven't even seen 1 Harry Potter movie and this too I may not watch!!!

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  6. I've seen the trailer of this movie and I admit it's actually tempting. And I agree that movies with this kind of plot is already very common. Gives me second thoughts now of watching it or not.

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  7. This is again an honest movie review. I used not to watch movie in the cinema, maybe because I've been busy with my life. I also read another review about this movie and his rate is 7/10 so I guess it doesn't really that interesting at all.

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  8. I have seen some of his animated films and somehow didn't like much. I will skip this movie too.

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  9. You think I can watch this with my kid? She is only 5.
    This is really interest me. If not I will watch this alone

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  10. This is one of the movie I'd been waiting for.. watch the preview and attracted to it.. Gonna watch it in cinema soon!

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  11. I like Tim Burton and his twist on things when it comes to the movies that he directs. I enjoyed the trailer and I would love to watch this film. I think it's a great way to open a child's eyes to diversity.

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  12. Agreed. I was surprised by how there were people who say it's the best film of the year, and when I watched it, I was disappointed.

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  13. I have been wanting to watch this movie since the first time I saw the trailer. The theme is like X-Men. I like movies with special powers and inhumane abilities.

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  14. I was told this movie was good. I was planning on watching it, but after reading your review, I might have to just wait for it on DVD because if we try to watch it in the movie house, we'd have to get a babysitter!

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  15. I love this movie because I find that the concept and story line is refreshing for me.

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  16. This seems like a good movie. I haven`t seen Tim Burton`s older movies. However, I`m very interested in seeing this one. From what I`ve seen so far, his movies are often very “dark” as you stated at the same time creative and imaginative.

    ❁ Grace ❁

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