I’m attracted to children’s films that are reminiscent of those that I grew up watching. I’m not referring to heavy nostalgia trips, such as last year’s “Goosebumps,” (which was a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong) but to separate entities littered with homages to classic literature and film. I suspect Tim Burton is the same way, hence him gravitating towards directing the film adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ smash novel, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.” The story is filled with monsters, fantastical elements, and outcasts finding their place in the world: Tim Burton’s calling card. There couldn’t have been a better marriage had they tried otherwise.
Despite being a timid, skeletal child who was afraid of his own shadow, I had a fascination with monsters. It started with “Godzilla” and “Jurassic Park,” then was titillated by shows such as “Goosebumps” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark.” I’d scour through “Famous Monsters” magazines, only to hide them under the bed and scurry away if the likes of Freddy Krueger were to appear. I was a novice horror fanatic and I didn’t know it. Monsters may have scared me, but I was enthralled by that fear. I guess as a bullied, lonesome child I liked testing my fears whilst still having full control over them. Stories in which similar lonesome children faced their fears and overcame them spoke to me on levels unimaginable.
“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is a story about a lonesome boy overcoming his fears and finding his place in the world, so of course I’d enjoy it! Those fears being represented by monsters like the ones found in those magazines of old, coupled with stop-motion effects amidst the CGI that are heavily reminiscent of the work of Ray Harryhausen equaled pure bliss! Make no bones about it: this film is as safe as it gets from a storytelling perspective, hitting all of the sweet spots of the underdog fantasy without adding much new. Still, those sweet spots are delectable and may convert the lonesome youth of today into horror fanatics of the future, or at least adults with a creative zest to them.
I did refer to this movie as a children’s film, but be fair warned that’s it not for the youngsters. It’s rated PG-13 for a reason, playing host to many frightening images and dark themes. The monsters, referred to as Hollows, are demonic creatures with ferocious tentacles, resembling something out of “Pan’s Labyrinth.” They are led by Barron (Samuel L. Jackson, chewing the scenery as only he can), a demon travelling through time loops looking to devour the eyes of peculiars to gain immortality. Those eyes, nine times out of ten, belong to children and, while their eyes being plucked out aren’t always graphically shown, there are images of the Hollows dining on eyeballs like a delicacy. There’s also a sequence in which one of the peculiars pits two demonic baby dolls against one another like gladiators. That’s an incongruous situation meant only to showcase said peculiar’s powers, and I only bring it up as an example of the darker elements to forewarn parents thinking of taking their smallest of children to this film. Enter at your own risk.
I’d like to believe that I’d be able to handle this film as a child, seeing as how I was ecstatic about “Beetlejuice” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” two fellow Tim Burton films (the latter a production of his) that embodied the skin of horror fables in a children’s setting. This film has a lot less frightening imagery, with enough humor to lighten the mood (though never distract from it). If your kids are like me and handled those films, then the safe bet is they can handle this.
Children will most certainly be enamored with Jake Portman (Asa Butterfield), the underdog protagonist drawn into Miss Peregrine’s peculiar world by the stories of his late grandfather, Abe (Terence Stamp). After being hunted down by Barron, Abe left his grandson clues to the whereabouts of the titular home, with a little unwanted assistance from darker forces. It is here that Jake finds his own peculiarity, symbolic of one finding their own unique talent as they grow older, which gives him courage and purpose. He uses these newfound traits to protect the home from the Barron and his merry, malevolent misfits.
It is also at this home that Jake discovers the peculiarities of the children, which range from uniquely useful to uniquely underwhelming. Emma Bloom (Ella Purnell) controls air, able to float lightly like a feather, breathe heavy gusts of wind, and both hold her breath underwater and part it; Olive (Lauren McCrostie) can emit flames from her hands; Millard Nullings (Cameron King) is invisible; Bronwyn Buntley (Pixie Davies) is a freakishly strong little girl; Enoch O’Connor (Finlay MacMillan) can resurrect the dead and manipulate inanimate objects with a beating heart (he’s the one responsible for the demonic dolls); Horace Sumusson (Hayden Keeler-Stone) has prophetic dreams he projects out of his eye; the Masked Twins (Joseph & Thomas Odwell) hide frighteningly effective faces underneath their masks; Claire Densmore (Raffiella Chapman) has sharp teeth growing out the back of her head; Fiona Frauenfeld (Georgia Pemberton) controls plants; and Hugh Apiston (Milo Parker) has a beehive growing inside of him. The last few children got the short end of the stick, though they’re smart enough to put their peculiarities to good use. I do fear for the children that succumb to Ransom Riggs running out of ideas; perhaps a child whose peculiarity is that he/she is a diabetic who can gorge on as many carbohydrates as they deem fit.
Then there’s Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), whose most popular power is the ability to turn into a bird. Her more useful one is the ability to control time, which she uses to protect the peculiar children in a time loop. The day is September 3rd, 1943, the night their home was bombed by the Germans. She’d have picked a better day, but she didn’t have the time (oh, the irony). She resets the clock just before the bomb drops, allowing her and the children to relive that day over and over again, never once aging. This adds so many layers, the first of which is touching upon the horrors of immortality. Losing loved ones, as Emma did with Abe, and never progressing past your current immortal state. It also adds an extra depth of danger to the proceedings, such as when the Hollows attack. Not only do they need to ward off monsters, but they must avoid the bomb dropping lest their time loop be destroyed.
The rest of the film goes as expected. Miss Peregrine gets captured, with Jake and the children tasked with saving her. Jake falls in love with Emma in the process, with the two working past their trust issues and the whole “her dying outside of the time loop” predicament, with the two cute enough together to make it work. Jake gets over his fear of inadequacy and becomes the tiger his grandfather christened him as. Barron wastes too much time talking instead of finishing the job, resulting in his failure. He even dusts out the double identity routine, disguising himself as Jake in the hopes of turning his compadres against him (and I’d be happy to never see this tired trope ever again).
As I said before, this film plays it safe. It hits all the familiar beats, but hits them so well one doesn’t care (for the most part). Helping them flow smoothly is Burton’s emotional touch, breathing life into the stereotypes. Take for instance Jake’s relationship with his distant father, Franklin (Chris O’Dowd). This could have been written as a simple, neglectful father, but Burton and screenwriter Jane Goldman made sure to make him more than that. His distance from his son is out of rejection from his own father, who confided more in his grandson than his own son. He fears for his son getting hurt by reality, hence why he responds negatively to his wild fantasies (which he believes to be a result of a mental illness). He doesn’t hate his son, but loves him deeply. Almost too deeply, as he prevents him from finding himself. It’s subtle and smart and I wish the mother was treated the same way. She suffered the same fate of Miss Avocet (Judi Dench), existing only to drive the story along. At least Miss Avocet got to sport a crossbow.
“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is a delightfully dark fantasy despite its familiarity! The peculiarities being symbolic of discrimination may remind viewers too much of “X-Men” (though with much less diversity, surprisingly), but Burton gives it its own flavor by focusing on puberty and loneliness more than discrimination. The monsters and their battles, such as with skeleton warriors, may be reminiscent of classic fantasy adventures (such as “Sinbad), but in a loving way. The film may borrow the skin of many others, but it is its own distinct personality. It’s peculiar, if you will.
Final Rating: B+