Directed by:
Tim BurtonScreenplay:
Jane GoldmanCinematography:
Bruno DelbonnelCast:
Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Ella Purnell, Samuel L. Jackson, Allison Janney, Chris O'Dowd, Terence Stamp, Rupert Everett, Milo Parker, Kim Dickens, Judi Dench (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Teenager Jacob follows clues that take him to a mysterious island, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores the abandoned bedrooms and hallways, he discovers that its former occupants were far more than peculiar; they possessed incredible powers. And they may still be alive. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
It's such a grim symptom of the times when a once idiosyncratic author adapts a book about the beauty of being different and distinctive storytelling and comes out with a completely pure, first-rate, contemporary blockbuster with all its diagnoses. Once again it has an implausible cast of characters that dilute any interest, once again we go two-thirds of the way through the film before picking up some kind of plot, once again the whole thing feels like a walk through a freakshow where we pause for a moment at each specimen only to continue unmoved to the next. The best moments here are pulled out of the sleeve of the subject matter (though it's again Harry Potter like crazy) with some cute ideas, the film itself on the other hand lacks any kind of handwriting altogether. The main problem is that the whole imaginary world doesn't work on its own, but only for the viewer. There is no second layer, each aspect of the alternate reality must be given its own few shots and duly commented on, presumably so that they can be used in the final climax. This, however, suffers from a Marvel-esque overstuffing, where basically thirty people are doing stuff, leaving the viewer in the role of the spoiled child of divorced parents, showered with so many toys that he has lost all inclination to play with them. The only thing that ultimately clashes with the whole concept are the gruesome horror scenes of slendermen devouring children's eyes, which admittedly feel a little out of place in all the superficial exuberance, but anything that feels out of place in these calculated films is simply welcome by default.
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If I hadn't read the book, I probably would not be so critical, but this way I have to say that I was severely underwhelmed. I didn't understand why the screenwriter switched Olive and Emma's abilities, why no one realized that a torpedoed ship usually has a hole in the side through which water usually leaks in, and I certainly don't understand why a decent mystery horror film had to be rehashed into a mediocre comedy/mystery. Oh well.
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Tim Burton decided to handle another horror fairy tale, the story of which really fits with his style. And you can really see how much he was enjoying himself making this movie. For instance, the final scene in the theme park is probably the craziest scene that Tim Burton ever created in image and sound. On the other hand, I had a bit of a problem with the way they explained the world. To be honest, I was getting lost in all those pasts and presents and even several days after I watched the film, I couldn’t really process how exactly Eva Green manipulated time. On the other hand, I got exactly what I wanted. Tim Burton had a blast once again with the story and all of that and I had the opportunity to enjoy all that with the works. The beginning of the movie in America is exactly like from the world of Edward Scissorhands; actually, that film will be alluded to several times. Old England is exactly the way you would imagine it would be in a movie by Tim. Difficult, mysterious, terrifying. All in one. What else can I say? In this respect, I was really satisfied. What I don’t understand however are the opinions of people who seem to be specialist assistants to that clown of a spokesperson of the Czech president who feel that Tim’s recent movies have been stale. I definitely disagree with that. The contrary. When he’s making movies in his name and not in the name of large studios, it’s still a pleasure to watch his flicks.
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I haven't read the book(s), so I can't judge how much the film sticks to the source material or how much they ravaged it, so I went to see Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children with a clean slate. To begin with, I must say that I personally prefer Tim Burton's earlier films, which were brimming with memorable visuals and also a good dose of dark humour - Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands being good examples. That's not to say that this one was a bad film. Unlike other users, I didn't mind the fictional world presented in the film, (I was intrigued by the ymbryn characters and their ability to control time). As for the cast, they were mostly likeable, although most of the characters were given little space and were rather modestly introduced through their "weirdness". I was most amused by Samuel L. Jackson, who added to the film's subdued but still dark humour. Alongside this, I was pleased with the casting of Eva Green and Judi Dench (who was more of a cameo, though). I have to appreciate that the film also featured stop-motion animation, which is not seen much in movies these days – it could have been used in other places to make it feel more retro. The the monsters, which, as someone noted, looked like Slender Man, were properly scary, and their clash with the skeletons was really good. All in all, a film that may not be a pure four stars, but compared to Burton's Dark Shadows and Planet of the Apes, which I gave three stars, I still liked Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children better.
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It's with a heavy heart that I rate as I do, because Danny Elfman's score is about the last thing Tim Burton's new film lacks. It's nice to look at, I was very pleased to see Eva Green finally playing something a little different, and the kids are also pleasantly weird, but it's SO boring, confusing towards the end, and the action is there just because, and so the special effects guys can make money... I haven't read the book, but I still want to read it – right now because I just believe it will be better.
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