2016
Eva Green as Miss Peregrine
Asa Butterfield as Jake
Ella Purnell as Emma
Samuel L. Jackson as Barron
Directed by Tim Burton
Based on the book(s) by Ransom Riggs
Tim Burton strikes again. He’s such a WEIRDO! I guess you do what you’re good at, though, right? I love his films and his visual style; it’s all so vibrant, yet washed out at the same time. Is that a thing? It must be…that’s what I see when I watch his movies! Sweeney Todd, anyone? Hell—pick ANY of his films!
Our story centers around Jake, a young boy who has an eccentric grandfather who dies in his arms (yikes! Major trauma, batman!), and his dying words are a warning. Jake’s always had some issues, so he chats with his therapist about grandpa’s death, who in turn encourages him to take a ridiculously random trip to a Welsh island to visit a mysterious Miss Peregrine, who apparently knew grandpa before he had grandkids. Or his own kids, for that matter. When he arrives, he sees the house that Miss P lived in, but it’s destroyed. Or so he thinks, before literally falling into a different reality.
Of course, we must allow filmmakers creative license when they adapt a book into a film. Tim is good with that. I was a little wary before watching this, because I know how out-of-whack adaptations can be. Anyone remember Eragon? Written by a Montana kid, in case you were wondering. Epic fantasy turned into a farce. I’m not kidding. The final battle was fought in a cornfield. ANYWAY: Burton made some changes, but I truly didn’t hate them. What were some of the struggles?
- The kids and their peculiarities didn’t match up to the book, but they were still represented, and treated as any normal person’s quirks or traits.
- The climactic battle was on the silly side. The music was really dumb. And the skeleton army was bizarre. I know that it worked in the 60s for Jason, but not here. And WHERE did Enoch get all those hearts?!
- Barron and the rest of the Hollows/Hollowgasts. Again. Just plain silly.
It was redeemed, though.
- Eva Green is absolutely perfect in the role of Miss Peregrine. She affects the traits of her namesake bird. The hair and outfit are fabulous. She used to bug the crap out of me, because that’s a REALLY deep voice with a lot of vocal fry. But after seeing her in Penny Dreadful, this is definitely more suited to her. Dark and creepy.
- The visuals associated with the kids’ peculiarities. Emma’s is an okay representation, but I really like Horace (fancy pants) and Millard (beekeeper).
- The entire premise from the novels. The author found all of these “trick” vintage photos and created stories about the people in them. A floating girl? An invisible boy? So. Cool.
Weepy Meter: 1/10 The whole idea of these people being hunted down sucks. It’s fun, though, so it might overpower your urge to cry.
Man Meter: 6/10 There’s action, bombs, deaths, eye plucking. It’s like the rated-G version of Kill Bill. Kind of. Plus Samuel L. Jackson. A good non-Marvel turn for him.
Overall Rating: 6/10 Good, solid fun. The characters are neat, it’s snarky, and it’s Tim Burton.
Photo credit: Photo by Jay Maidment – © 2016 – Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
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