Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The difference from the books allows this to be stand alone without driving you mental because you're left with a cliffhanger for a long time or, potentially, forever... if you enjoyed watch and enjoy it without reading the books?? Read them or get them on audiobook; you will LOVE them!!!

If you've read the trilogy first and THEN watch the film. You're in for a wee change, but it sat well with me rather than be left in insane-land til I could get the next book, or chapter, or be able to see the bigger picture...

I am not very familiar with Tim Burton's work (only watched a handful of his movies), neither have I read the book, so I will review this movie as it is, without comparing it to the usual craftsmanship of Mr. Burton nor the characters or events as depicted in the source material.

I found the movie entertaining, and at no point did I wonder "How long more is this going to be?" Any movie that never prompts me to ask this question automatically gets a 6 out of 10.

Many reviews mentioned about huge plot holes in the movie, but I never really understood what the plot holes were that make this a terrible movie. I thought the story was quite easy to follow, even with all the time loops, and makes sense in the make-believe world that we are watching. I usually have trouble making sense of time- travel stories, so the ability to simplify complicated concepts and making it easy to understand for me deserves another star for intelligence. Though probably it wasn't easy enough for a seven year-old to comprehend.

I also thought the soundtrack was quite good, I actually stayed till the credits finished rolling to enjoy the music. This, along with the camera work, gets another star to make it 8 out of 10.

To be honest, if the voting score is in increment of 0.5, I would be more inclined to vote it 7.5 out of 10. I don't expect character development for all the "peculiar children" in a movie like this (that would perhaps be more fitting for a drama series), but the acting can be improved. Eva Green has the best "on-screen presence", but she doesn't appear until 30 minutes into the movie, so a bit of patience is necessary. Also I found the editing a bit too abrupt at some points, but that's about all the complaints I have.

I am quite satisfied with the movie, considering the amount of bad reviews I have been exposed to. :)

Just to clarify one thing: I don't hate Tim Burton at all. In fact, I kinda love his work. He has a very unique and imaginative vision, seems to have a tasteful choice for actors (besides Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter), and can really pour his heart and soul in some of his films like "Edward Scissorhands", "Corpse Bride", and "The Nightmare Before Christmas". But, just like any director, he has his missteps also. Some of his recent work is very lackluster and, at times, flat-out bad (Planet of the... BLAHK!).

But I was still excited for this particular project of his. I haven't read the book, or knew much about it, but when I saw the trailer I got my hopes up. Maybe this will be his big comeback! Asa Butterfield is an actor I like, the imagery is appropriately dream- like and the source material seems to fit his style perfectly. It even has the screenwriter from X-Men: First Class!

So I went to see the film with a few of my friends in a theater of around 15 people and 25-30 recliner seats. I couldn't wait to see another great Tim Burton movie!

And for the first half of the film... I genuinely enjoyed it! Sure, it does take some time for Jacob to reach Peregrine's home, but once he does... I couldn't help but smile like an idiot. The world that Jacob enters is fascinating, the visuals are exceptional, and every one of the peculiar kids are very interesting side- characters. I wanted to learn more about the girl that could lift boulders over her head! There is also this kid that can project his dreams into film... how cool! The first act always left me with questions that I was excited to hear about when the plot kicks in.

And then the plot kicks in...

That is where the movie starts to run out of steam.

I could tell there were a lot of story elements in the book just from watching the movie, because in the second half a lot of it felt crammed in. Whenever I try to follow the story as best as I can, there's always this one subplot that makes precious little sense. It also doesn't help that the villain is weak and his motivations are somewhat vague.

The climax is pretty abrupt and Burton sadly delves into a few clichés that aggravate me. A lot of it felt by-the-numbers at that time, and I was sorely disappointed.

That's not to say that this was a bad film, because it isn't. The acting (especially from Eva Green) is competent, the whole film is imaginative in its story and visuals, and somewhere buried beneath lies a great film with lots of creative ideas and appealing whimsy. But the plot is messy, the main character is bland, the pacing is at times uneven and, in the end, it's just another average YA adaptation that had loads of potential.

VERDICT:

+ Visuals + Well-cast, especially for Eva Green + Imaginative + Sense of wonder in the first act + Solid directing + Interesting side characters

• Villain - The hero is underdeveloped - Plot is messy - Pacing is uneven - Unconvincing love chemistry

SCORE: 5.5/10

First of all I haven't read the books but my brother has and he said the movie is not even 30% accurate to the book so I get it why the book readers are hating it. If you are expecting a truthful adaptation of the novel maybe skip this one.

Now in my case as a non reader of the book I had no big expectations for this movie and after watching it I can say it is not a bad movie but it is not very good either. I think it has a good story but it is missing something to make it stand out.

I like Tim Burton and he clearly was the right choice to direct I mean his aesthetic works perfect with the tone of the story this feels like Big Fish meets Edward Scissorhands, that being said I think the story felt a little flat.

Kudos to Eva Green because she is the only, and I mean the only person in the cast worth mentioning, she fits the character of Miss Peregrine perfect, very mysterious and powerful but with a kind heart, contrary to Asa Butterfield who as Jake felt completely forced and not even relatable. The other adults, even Samuel L. Jackson as the villain, were forgettable. And the kids, who I thought were the ones that were going to stand out, only Ella Purnell kind of did

Overall it is pretty average movie with great direction an a clear vision but a cast and a story that were flat. That is why I'm giving it a 6. Not so bad but not so good

I haven't read the books, so I can't talk about the differences at length. I read a comment from another reviewer who is furious about the movie, because of all the changes. You have to remember when a beloved book gets made into a film, it's almost impossible it'll meet what you had made of it in your mind.

Also as this is limited (running time mostly), it won't have everything the book had. Even Peter Jacksons adaptations could not have everything Tolkien had written in his book (at least not in the version that was running in the cinemas). Having said all that I hope this prepares you in case you do want to watch this. This is light and fun (with dark themes of course) and aimed to our inner and outer child. It does a good enough job taking us away and entertain us. That's good enough in my book (no pun intended)