Review
'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' looks good but lacks substance
October 5, 2016
After the mysterious passing of his grandfather, Jake is not sure what to do at all. He doesn’t know if he is going crazy due to seeing the odd way his grandfather died and the peculiar last words he spoke to Jake, or if it was his grandfather which was the crazy one. He decides to follow the strange clues that his grandpa left him to either put things to rest and move on, or to actually discover the wonderful things that might lie ahead.
This is a movie that is based on the novel "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," written by Ransom Riggs. I, for one, did not read it and I actually never even saw a trailer for this film. On top of that, I really had no idea what this movie was about other than it’s a cross between Harry Potter, X-Men and Narnia and is also directed by the great Tim Burton. This is one of a select few times where I have gone into a movie blind, not having any idea what to expect. But enough of that, you guys don't care about that crap. You beautiful people want to know if it was any good or not and if it’s worth your money.
"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" was decent. The funny thing about it is that when I first left the theater, I thought that it was a good movie and that I had a fun time. Turns out I did not have a fun time but rather an OK time. Who knew?! Anyway, let’s get back on track. The more I thought about this film, the more I picked it apart and realized how sloppy it was at time and I was constantly thinking of different ways that would’ve made the film better.
To start off, the film starts off way too slow. After the first scene, we have about an hour before anything else interesting happens. After the mysterious death of the grandfather in the first scene, I was very intrigued and wondering what was going to happen. Then throughout the next hour, I proceeded to lose interest. There were glimmers of hope here and there that tried to really bring me back in, but it never quite worked. I feel like this movie is mostly spectacle without bringing much substance to the table. Sure, the food looks good, but the taste was missing. The movie lacked flavor. I wanted more emotion, I wanted more depth and character development and I wanted more fun. Sadly, I left hungry. At times when they do try and give me those things, it felt forced and like it was desperately trying to work but never quite reaching the mark.
Now there were some aspects that I did enjoy; aspects that did keep me from falling asleep were qualities such as the relationship with Jake and his grandfather and how he experienced the trauma of the situation. That to me did feel real and did give some emotion. Unfortunately, this only lasts during the first few scenes. Then we have an overall interesting story premise that I really did want to get behind and love. The plot really was something unique and I felt it was almost made for Tim Burton to direct. It is whimsical and enchanting yet having a dark and spooky tone to it. "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" really did suit Burton well. Unfortunately, it just didn’t have the same charm that some of his other films have had.
Unless you are a huge fan of the book or of Tim Burton, I’d say skip this one or at least wait until you can rent it. It just doesn't have enough depth and fun to overcome the slow lackluster feel the film had.