SHOULD I TAKE THE KIDS - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

THE DETAILS:

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy action/violence and peril
Running Time: 127 minutes
Genre: Fantasy Adventure
In Theaters: September 30th, 2016
Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson
Writer: Jane Goldman
Director: Tim Burton
Format: Standard 2D, film also screening in 3D

THE PLOT:

After a strange encounter results in a family tragedy, an adolescent boy travels to a peculiar island seeking answers. He finds both danger and delight, but the more he learns about the past, the more he is forced to make a difficult decision about his future.

CONTENT:

There is much danger lurking in the shadows, with bizarre beasts out to get you. Burton’s dark fantasy has some genuinely creepy sequences and suspenseful standoffs. Most of the actual mayhem is limited to computer-generated monsters, but otherwise there is little objectionable content.

SHOULD I TAKE THE KIDS:

NO: 6 and Under
The story literally deals with nightmares, and will likely cause them for small children.

MAYBE: 7 to 12
The monsters and spooky sequences may be too intense for sensitive viewers, but those familiar with similar material from say, the Harry Potter movies, may enjoy discovering this story’s secrets.

YES: 13 and up
From the protagonist and imaginative narrative to the themes of isolation, family and responsibility, Miss Peregrine is in many ways an ideal teen movie.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

REVIEW:

From Batman to Beetlejuice, director Tim Burton has a predilection for the outcast, the eccentric, and the peculiar. Often his stories are told from a child’s point of view, and often his young leads have no place to belong. At last his woebegone characters have found a home.
Peculiars, as they are called, have a recessive gene that often skips generations and results in unique abilities. Of course this makes the outside world a dangerous place for them. So at Professor Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters…

Yes, it appears that Burton’s latest project, adapted from Ransom Riggs’ 2011 best seller, borrows more than a little from the X-Men. The plot even revolves around a time loop out of Days of Future Past, and the long-limbed monsters (referred to as Hollows) bear a passing resemblance to the Sentinels depicted in the 2014 film version.

Fortunately, Peregrine has just enough charm and imagination to stand on its’ own. Although they do have powers, the children are more human and sympathetic than their superhero counterparts, largely ruled by their emotions rather than any heroic, world-saving sense of duty.

It helps that, as with all Burton films, the visuals are stunning, courtesy of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie) and his team of art and set designers. There is clearly a lot of CGI involved, but it is mostly in service of the story rather than supplanting it. And there’s an army of Harryhausen-esque skeletons, which is always a plus. Magneto would be helpless against them.

OVERALL:

Thanks to its’ talented cast and skillful technicians, Miss Peregrine largely overcomes a storytelling debt to many other fantasy films and franchises.

GRADE: B-

COMPANION FILMS (for viewing with the kids at home):

Amongst the cacophony of sources Burton borrows from, his own previous work is not exempt. To see what happens when a Peculiar doesn’t have a home, we recommend Burton’s 1990 fantasy Edward Scissorhands, which has a somewhat more original narrative and affecting emotional impact, although not suitable for pre-teens. If you pay close attention, you may notice one of the signature set pieces from Scissorhands show up again in Peregrine.



Benjamin Spacek has written about film for numerous publications, most notably for the Las Vegas Weekly, where he was a reviewer from 2003-2009. He currently lives in Olympia, Washington with his wife and three children.