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Review: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

abbyeste
Oct 17, 2016
3 min read

I'd like to preface this by saying Mrs.Pembleton's Home for Punctual Children was the first film I've seen in theatres for months. It's possible that I'll be a lot harsher seeing that I paid to see it as opposed to stumbling upon it while flipping through channels. Sorry- but not that sorry- to diehard Peregrine fans.

SUMMARY: Madam Pot's Hostel for Predictable Children is a film based off a book written by Ransom Riggs. The title really says it all. An angsty teen, Jake, played by child actor sweetheart, Asa Butterfield, finds himself in a peculiar situation (see what I did there?) when he starts searching for answers to his grandfather's murder. He gets sucked into the world of invisible people and transfiguration, all the while trying to keep up appearances with his irritable parents.

GENRE: YA, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

PLOT: It's a bit predictable, but that's not to say that there weren't moments where certain plot points which had surprising twists. Because there were and they were great. However, know that this film follows the classic "hero cycle." Average Joe gets sucked into this "unknown world" that is somehow connected to their murky family history. Enter the love interest. Enter villain. Yada, yada, yada. The end. Roll credits. In terms of structure and form, there wasn't anything that stood out except for incorporation of time travel. (It was confusing at time, but I liked it!)

My problem with the fantasy genre, especially in movies, is that it requires a good amount of exposition. Which is fine, except in cases where the exposition becomes overwhelming. Look, I just can't remember what the heck a Holo is or what a Ymbryne is within a 127 minute period. I just can't! I can't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, or if I even had breakfast.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Hands down, my favourite part about this film. Even though I wouldn't peg this as a classic Burton film- it certainly wasn't a Dark Shadows or Corpse Bride- he certainly did an excellent job in creating this fantastic world within Jake's dull reality. The special effects were the highlight of this film. I'm just always amazed by the power of green screen and animation.

CHARACTER: I'm torn. The characters and their "peculiars" were dynamic, and the chemistry between them was delightful and fun. But, because there's always a but, I wanted more. I wanted to have a heart to heart with Barron, and watch the twins' powers for more than two seconds. I only got to see glimpses of character development and then abrupt moments of intimacy. Of course, a lot of this has to do with the problems surrounding the format of the film medium. 120 minutes is just not enough time to introduce and fully develop all thirteen of the children. I suppose I'll just have to read the book...

SOUNDTRACK: It didn't quite jump out at me, which can be taken both ways. My girl Florence is on it though!

IN SHORT: From an objective point of view, this would be the kind of film that I would wait to watch on-demand. It's definitely a more preteen or YA movie, considering the themes and the level of violence. For readers deciding whether to watch the movie or not, be warned that the film is different from the novel. Whether it's different in a good way or bad way, I really can't say.

I'd recommend the film for one reason and one reason only: Samuel L. Jackson. (You'll get what I mean if you watch it.)

I would rate Ms.Peacock's Hotel For Puzzled Children a solid 7.5/10. A fun and light watch, but I found the plot to be lacking the"wow" factor for me. Once it's on demand, it's a great flick for movie night.