When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers… and their powerful enemies. Ultimately, Jacob discovers that only his own special “peculiarity” can save his new friends.
This was a fun, imaginative, romp into a fantasy world. Not that it was without flaws, but, I can safely say that this movie can be enjoyed by all ages, and well worth the ticket price to see on the big screen. With that being said…
I can’t help but wonder if these “peculiarities” weren’t dreamed up by a focus group of 7 year olds.
- A girl who can float, and controls gusts of air.. a little strange
- An Invisible boy (that’s fine)
- A boy with.. bees in his mouth? that’s just.. what??
- A boy who can animate things (dolls, dead people, skeletons) by placing hearts in them? Where does he get the hearts??
- A girl who has a monstrous mouth, complete with sharp teeth, on the back of her head… oookay
- A super-strong girl, ok no problem there.
- A girl who has some sort of pyrokenetic touch. ok, that’s fine.
- A girl who can control plants.. ok, i can accept that.
- Their guardian, who can change into a bird, and control time.. interesting.
- Finally a boy who can see invisible monsters (but, not see the invisible boy). A bit inconsistent there, but I suppose it would have been creepy being able to see the invisible boy, naked.. because the boy’s clothes aren’t invisible..
Half of these peculiarities just seem.. ridiculous to me. Oh, and let’s not forget the creepy twins in their clown costumes.. (big spoiler) They are actually lizard-type gorgons, who can turn people to stone. OK, that would have been VERY helpful several times during the story, but they didn’t use that one until the end.
The story itself is quite nice, actually. Groups of these “peculiar” children exist all over the world, and are kept in a 24-hour time loop by their guardians. To keep them safe from Mr Baron and his group of villains who wish to live forever by stealing the time powers of the guardians.
Mr Baron is portrayed by Samuel L Jackson. Who is.. every character SLJ has played in the last 20 years.. seriously, I love him, but his range is very limited to being.. Samuel L Jackson. And to be honest, he seems rather out of place in this setting.
With all the nitpicking I’ve done, I have to say that I really did enjoy the movie and I think your kids will as well. Go see it in your local cinema!
