Thursday 6 October 2016

Film Review: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

"You Don't Have To Make Us Feel Safe, Because You've Made Us Feel Brave..."


Tim Burton is back with his latest project, Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, based on the novel of the same name by author Ransom Riggs, and whilst Mr. Burton hasn't exactly hit the high notes of what he can accomplish in recent years, a mediocre Burton film is at least better than most things released in the calendar year of film. With Miss Peregrine's, the typical tropes and traits of what makes Burton's films his own are unashamedly there to see from the offset and whilst we are treated to a two hour plus marathon of sub-gothic horror, all with a teenage friendly 12A rating, which includes invisible monsters, Alice In Wonderland type parallel time zones and the removal of a hell lot of eyes, Burton's latest is an undeniable snooze-fest, one that has the baseline of a good idea but one that is orchestrated in a tedious and rather unconvincing fashion, concluding with a final act which can only be regarded as the physical definition of anticlimax. 


As we follow Jacob (Asa Butterfield) into the titular home, ruled over by the strict, yet caring, Miss Peregrine, portrayed in an overtly scene-chewingly fashion by Eva Green, the film begins in a compelling air of mystery, particularly when we are introduced to the notion of the Hollows, their origins and the plans of the evil Dr. Barron (Samuel L. Jackson). Unfortunately for the film, as soon as we are swayed away from the charming introductions to the residents of the titular home and into the bigger picture involving the Jack Skellington-esque Hollows, the film totally collapses under the weight of attempting to get as much plot in its' two-hour runtime, resulting in a messy narrative which doesn't allow the concluding act to have the impact and sense of closure it of course is meant to have. Although the film boasts some good performance from the likes of its' younger cast, with Ella Purnell arguably being the standout, Miss Peregrine's is a poor attempt for Burton to get back on form and therefore can only be regarded as a undeniable let down.

Overall Score: 5/10

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