Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Directed by Tim Burton, 2016
Directed by Tim Burton and released in 2016, this fantasy movie follows the story of Jake Portman and his adventure with Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children. Throughout the movie, viewers discover what life is like for the children in their time loop—and what makes them so fascinating.
Growing up, Jake always heard stories about a house off the coast of Wales where peculiar people lived. Apparently, his grandfather, Abe, had known these people since he was young, after having to flee his home country due to “monsters.” Over time, Abe grew close to them until one day he had to leave and move on.
One day, Abe mysteriously dies under unnatural circumstances, taking away the one person Jake was truly close to. To help Jake cope with his loss, his therapist encourages him and his father, Franklin Portman, to travel to Wales so Jake can find this mysterious house for himself and find closure.
On his first day in Wales, Jake is led off track by two local boys, where he accidentally discovers an old, dilapidated house. While exploring, he runs into mysterious silhouettes who mistake him for his grandfather. Frightened, Jake runs away but doesn’t get far before he falls and hits his head. When he wakes up, he is being carried by a stranger who takes him through a portal located on a nearby beach.
When they walk through the portal, they are transported to September 3, 1943, where the once-abandoned house is alive and new again. On his first day at the home, we meet several of the peculiar children—Emma Bloom, Enoch O’Connor, Olive Abroholos Elephanta, Bronwyn Bruntly, Millard Nullings, Claire Densmore, The Twins, Hugh Apiston, Fiona Fruanfeld, Horace Somnusson—and, of course, Miss Peregrine herself.
We learn that Miss Peregrine has the ability to manipulate time. At the end of every day, she resets time, creating a loop that protects the children from an event that would have killed them in the original timeline. Over the course of his stay, Jake learns about monsters known as Hollowgasts and Wights, who have ill intent toward the people residing in the home. Possessing an ability he didn’t know he had, Jake must work with the peculiar children to protect them. Will he succeed in saving his new friends—or lose them forever?
With its uniqueness, striking cinematography, and creative plot, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a solid 7/10. I highly recommend this PG-13 movie for anyone looking to stray away from standard American films.
