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.

 

Synopsis of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Jake (Asa Butterfield) receives a distressing call from his grandfather, Abe (Terence Stamp), who sounds frightened because he cannot find his gun. Jake immediately goes to his grandfather's house, only to find him dying under mysterious circumstances, with his eyes missing.

Before he dies, Abe gives Jake one final instruction: he tells him to go back in time and find Miss Peregrine (Eva Green).

Jake has heard many stories about Miss Peregrine and the Peculiar Children from his grandfather. However, Jake's parents insist that these stories are nothing more than his grandfather's imagination.

Still, Jake wants to discover the truth for himself.

With the help of his psychiatrist, Jake eventually convinces his parents to let him travel to Cairnholm, where the mysterious house is located. His father also joins the trip while conducting research on birds on the island.

But the house Jake finds is nothing like the one he imagined.

The building has been destroyed. According to the locals, it was destroyed by a bomb during the war.

Still curious, Jake explores the ruins and eventually encounters the peculiar children his grandfather had told him about. They take him through time, allowing Jake to witness their world for himself.

For the first time, Jake finally believes that his grandfather's stories were true.

However, he soon discovers that this new world is not as safe as it first appears. Barron and the Hollows emerge, putting the peculiar children in danger.

Will Jake be able to protect them and save the people he has come to care about?

 

Review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fantasy film adapted from Ransom Riggs' 2011 novel of the same name.

The story presents an interesting combination of time travel, supernatural abilities, and adventure. However, stories involving time travel always create a challenge because they need to maintain a certain level of internal logic. This film leaves several details that become difficult to reconcile when viewed from that perspective.

The background of the story and the characters is presented clearly. The different peculiar abilities are also introduced in a way that makes each character recognizable.

However, the film takes quite a long time to move from the initial setup toward the main conflict. This makes the first part feel somewhat slow.

Even once the conflict begins, the action does not feel particularly intense. The fights lack some of the challenge and excitement that could have made the adventure more thrilling.

Spoiler alert.

The ending works reasonably well from the perspective of the main story, but several questions remain unanswered.

For example, what happens to Jake's parents during the period when Jake disappears? The film does not provide a clear answer.

This is one of the difficulties with time-travel stories. Once a character moves across different points in time, the consequences for the original timeline need to be carefully considered. Unfortunately, some of those details are overlooked here.

Another issue appears when Jake eventually returns to 2016 and meets his grandfather again. The existence of his grandfather in that timeline indirectly suggests that another version of Jake should also exist there.

Logically, this could mean that two versions of Jake are present in the same year.

There are also smaller continuity issues.

For example, the chicken Claire plans to eat appears noticeably larger while sitting on the plate than when she holds it later. It is a small detail, but it creates an inconsistency that could easily have been avoided.

Another example occurs when Emma removes her shoes while running away to help Jake. Logically, the shoes should remain where she left them. Yet when they reach the beach, Emma is suddenly wearing them again.

There is also a moment when Barron locks everyone inside a room. Almost immediately after the door closes, Jake reveals their plan aloud. Since Barron has only just closed the door, it seems unlikely that he would not hear them.

Despite these details, the performances are generally good and do not feel stiff. The wardrobe is also visually interesting and fits the fantasy setting well.

The camera movement and visual effects are handled smoothly. However, I wish the film had shown more of the children's supernatural abilities. Their powers are one of the most interesting aspects of the story, so using them more extensively could have made the adventure more exciting.

Overall, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children remains an interesting fantasy film with a creative premise and memorable characters. Some elements of the storytelling could have been developed more carefully, particularly the time-travel logic and the pacing of the conflict.

Memorable Scene

Jake receives a call from Abe while he is in the past. Jake expresses how much he misses his grandfather and tells him that he is the best grandfather.

Jake knows that Abe does not understand everything he is saying at that moment, but he still chooses to express his love.

This scene is touching because it shows that sometimes we simply need to say what we feel, even when we know the other person may not fully understand the meaning behind our words.

 

Memorable Dialogue

"It's been my privilege to care for you all."

 

Ending

Happy Ending

 

Recommendation

Worth Watching

 

(Aluna Uwie)