Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Cast: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O’Dowd, Judi Dench, Samuel L  Jackson

Rated: 6/10

It’s thrillingly Tim Burton all the way — weird, edgy, exciting, adventurous, magical and, of course, about extra-ordinary beings on Earth. At the centre f them all is Miss Peregrine who is as eccentric as Mary Poppins, a fierce mother to her peculiar crop of children, a transformer with an ability to relive past time as well as turn into a bird at the drop of a demand.

Played to the hilt by Eva Green, Miss P’s character is much like the female version of a Johnny Depp role in full bloom and does most of the arresting in the film which otherwise dangles on adventurism of the monster-going-to-devour-the-gifted kind. The spooky and haunting ambience that Burton lends to the film keeps the crescendo going all through. Burton’s uncanny ability to understand and celebrate the gifted outcasts makes this film worthy of a watch.

Other than the intimidating Miss Peregrine, there is a clutch of children too. That despite their peculiarities and uniqueness, they come across as naturally gifted persons speaks volumes about the director’s prowess with such a delicate subject.

The presence of veterans Judi Dench and Samuel L Jackson gives wings to the story. Though a tad diverted from the book on which it is based, the film on its own is engrossing, engaging and edgy. 

Source: Sunday Pioneer, 9 October, 2016