Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) Review: A Fantasy About Time, Identity, and Hidden Powers

 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | 2016 | 2h 7m
Genre: Fantasy / Thriller / Drama / Adventure / Family | Country: UK / US
Director: Tim Burton | Writers: Ransom Riggs, Jane Goldman
Cast: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, etc.
IMDb: 6.7
My Rate: 7/10

Jake investigates the mysterious house his grandfather told him about after discovering his grandfather's unnatural death. What begins as a search for answers opens a door to hidden powers, strange children, and a dangerous world beyond his imagination.

Warning

Contains violence, strong language, sensuality, and alcohol.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) Review: A Magical Adventure with Gaps in Its Logic

Time travel is one of those fascinating ideas that can make a story feel magical, but it can also become a storytelling trap. The moment a character travels into the past, every decision raises new questions about timelines, consequences, and the possibility of changing what has already happened. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children offers an intriguing adventure built around time loops and extraordinary abilities. Unfortunately, while its world is imaginative, some details left me questioning whether the story had paid enough attention to its own logic.

Jake (Asa Butterfield) receives a frantic phone call from his grandfather, Abe (Terence Stamp), who cannot find his gun and sounds terrified. Worried, Jake rushes to his grandfather’s house, only to discover that Abe has died under mysterious circumstances, with his eyes missing. Before his final moments, Abe tells Jake to return to the past and find Miss Peregrine.

Growing up, Jake had often listened to Abe’s stories about Miss Peregrine and a group of children with peculiar abilities. However, Jake’s parents believe those stories are nothing more than his grandfather’s imagination and lies. Despite their skepticism, Jake remains curious and wants to discover whether the stories might be true.

With the help of his psychiatrist, Jake eventually convinces his parents to let him travel to Cairnholm, the island where the home from Abe’s stories is located. His father accompanies him, partly to conduct research on the island’s birds. But when they arrive, the place Jake imagined is nowhere to be found. The house has been reduced to ruins, reportedly destroyed by a bomb during the war.

Still determined to uncover the truth, Jake explores the remains of the house. There, he encounters the peculiar children and discovers that they can take him through time. After witnessing their extraordinary world for himself, Jake finally believes the stories his grandfather told him. Yet he has no idea that his search for the truth will lead him into a dangerous adventure involving Barron and his terrifying Hollow companions. Can Jake protect the children and save them from the threat pursuing them?

Adapted from Ransom Riggs’s 2011 novel of the same name, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children presents an appealing combination of fantasy, time travel, and supernatural abilities. The premise is fascinating, especially for viewers who enjoy stories about unusual characters living outside the boundaries of ordinary reality. The idea of a place where peculiar children can remain within a time loop offers plenty of possibilities for imaginative storytelling.

However, time-travel stories are notoriously difficult to construct. Their appeal often depends on the audience accepting rules that differ from those of the real world. That freedom does not mean the rules can be ignored altogether. Once a story establishes how its timeline works, the consequences of traveling between different periods need to remain reasonably consistent. Otherwise, the audience may find itself spending more time questioning the mechanics of the plot than enjoying the adventure.

The film establishes its characters and their backgrounds reasonably well, making it easy to understand who they are and why Jake becomes involved in their world. Unfortunately, the story takes quite a while to move from its initial setup to the central conflict. Although the introductory portion is necessary to establish Jake’s motivations and introduce the peculiar children, the pacing occasionally feels slow and makes the adventure less engaging than it could have been.

The conflict itself also feels somewhat limited. The action sequences do not always generate the excitement or adrenaline that I expected from a fantasy adventure involving extraordinary powers and dangerous enemies. Given the range of abilities possessed by the children, I would have liked to see their powers used more extensively and creatively. There is considerable potential in the concept, but the film does not always make the most of it.

Spoilers ahead.

My biggest criticism concerns the inconsistencies in the time-travel storyline. The ending works reasonably well from a narrative perspective, but several questions remain unanswered. For example, what happens to Jake’s parents in the year he disappears? The film does not adequately explain how his prolonged absence affects them or how the situation is resolved from their perspective. This omission makes the conclusion feel incomplete because the consequences of Jake’s journey are not fully explored.

Another issue arises when Jake returns to 2016 and encounters his grandfather. If Abe is still alive in that period, then the version of Jake who originally lived in 2016 should also exist. By that logic, two versions of Jake could be present in the same year. The film does not sufficiently clarify how this works within its timeline, leaving the audience to work out the implications for themselves.

There are also smaller continuity errors that may seem insignificant individually but become noticeable when viewed together. At one point, the chicken Claire is about to eat appears considerably larger on the plate than it does when someone holds it. The difference in size is distracting because the object does not remain visually consistent between shots.

Another example occurs when Emma removes her shoes to escape and save Jake. Logically, the shoes should remain where she took them off. Yet when she reaches the beach, she is wearing them again. It is a minor detail, but it illustrates how seemingly small oversights can interrupt the viewing experience.

A similar problem appears when Barron locks the group inside a room. Almost immediately after he closes the door, Jake begins explaining their plan. Since Barron has only just left, it seems reasonable to wonder whether he could still hear the conversation. The scene moves forward as though this possibility does not matter, even though the timing makes it difficult to ignore.

These issues reinforce my initial concern about the film's use of time travel. A fantasy story does not need to explain every single detail, and viewers do not necessarily expect scientific precision from a magical adventure. Nevertheless, internal consistency matters. When a story introduces unusual rules, it needs to pay attention to how those rules affect its characters and events. Otherwise, moments intended to feel magical can instead become sources of confusion.

Putting these narrative issues aside, the film has several strengths. The actors deliver generally convincing performances without appearing excessively stiff. The costumes are visually appealing and help establish the distinctive identities of the characters. The camera movements and animation are also handled smoothly, contributing to the film's imaginative atmosphere.

Still, I think the children's extraordinary abilities could have been showcased more extensively. Their powers are among the most interesting elements of the premise, yet the film does not always give them enough opportunities to make a lasting impression. More creative uses of those abilities could have made the confrontations more exciting and allowed the audience to appreciate the full potential of the peculiar children.

One of the most memorable moments, however, is not an action sequence. It occurs when Jake calls Abe while he is in the past. During their conversation, Jake expresses how much he misses his grandfather and tells him that he is the best grandfather in the world. Jake knows that Abe cannot fully understand the meaning of his words in that moment, yet he chooses to express his affection anyway.

I find this scene touching because it captures something deeply human: the desire to tell someone how much they mean to us, even when we cannot be certain that our words will be understood in the way we intend. Jake's circumstances are unusual, but the feeling behind his words is familiar. Sometimes, we hold back our affection because we assume there will always be another opportunity to express it. We may believe that the people we love already know how we feel, so there is no need to say it aloud.

Yet time is not always as generous as we expect. We cannot return to the past whenever we regret something we left unsaid. We cannot always recreate a moment or recover an opportunity that has passed. Jake's conversation with Abe reminds us that expressing love does not have to wait for a perfect moment. Sometimes, saying something simple while we still have the chance is more meaningful than waiting until we find the ideal words.

The memorable line, “It's been my privilege to care for you all,” also reflects the affection and responsibility that connect the characters. Caring for someone is not merely a matter of protecting them from danger. It also involves giving them a sense of belonging and helping them feel that their existence matters. In a story filled with extraordinary abilities, this emotional connection is one of its most relatable elements.

Overall, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is still worth watching, particularly for viewers who enjoy fantasy adventures, unusual characters, and supernatural abilities. Its imaginative premise, appealing costumes, and smooth visual presentation make it entertaining despite its weaknesses. The slow pacing, limited use of the children's powers, and several continuity problems prevent the story from reaching its full potential, but the film remains an enjoyable adventure with a happy ending.

Perhaps the most meaningful thing to take away from Jake's journey is not the ability to travel through time, but his willingness to express what he feels when he has the opportunity. We spend so much time thinking about what we might do differently if we could return to the past or what we might say if we had another chance. But we rarely have control over those possibilities. What we do have is the present moment. So, before we start wishing for a chance to go back, perhaps we should ask ourselves: is there someone we love who deserves to hear it from us today, while we still have the chance to say it?

(Aluna Uwie)

Previously published on Alunauwie.com.

This article was originally written in Indonesian and has been adapted into English for international readers.