Tim Burton is back with yet another dark fantasy and this time it’s an adaptation of American author, Ransom Riggs’ young adult fiction novel, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. With an interesting cast mix of Eva Green (The Salvation), Judy Dench (Skyfall) and Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight) and some freaky special effects wizardry, the film is another creepy adventure for director Tim Burton.
The book was published back in 2011 and while it’s nowhere near as well known as the Harry Potter series, it did top the New York Times best seller list for a while, so it’s not without its fan base. However, it was a bigger release in the US than in the UK, so the film itself had to stand on its own two feet for its big screen and home entertainment releases this side of the pond. Check out the trailer below, which is pretty cool, to see what to expect.
Story
The story follows 16-year old Jake as he uncovers clues to a strange mystery that spans time, space and the very fabric of reality itself, leading him to the doorstep of Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. There he befriends all of the exceptionally talented kids, including Emma Bloom, who can control air to let him breath underwater, but there’s a dark threat hovering around the sanctuary, with dangerous monsters called Wights and Hollowgasts out to get them.
The situation gets even more tricky when Miss Peregrine leaves Jake in charge of the protection of the rest of the gifted children in the face of overwhelming adversity. However, with the prospect of his own burgeoning powers coming through is there a chance they can make it out the terrible situation alive?
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children trailer:
Cast
Eva Green plays the eponymous Miss Peregrine as she welcomes Jake – played by Asa Butterfield – into her peculiar fold. Dame Judy Dench has been cast as Miss Avocet, while Samuel L. Jackson will be playing a sinister White called Barron. Ella Purnell (Maleficent) plays Emma Bloom, Chris O’Dowd stars as Jake’s dad Franklin Portman and the brilliant Terence Stamp (Superman II) plays his grandfather Abraham. Rupert Everett puts in a fleeting performance as odd ornithologist, John Lamont.
Release date
Cinema:
Miss Peregrine’s School For Peculiar Children had a cinematic release date in the UK on Friday the 30th September 2016, coming out on the same weekend as it did in the US. The film arrived in the UK on the same weekend as oil spill biopic, Deepwater Horizon, Jean Claude Van Damme’s Kickboxer reboot and Matthew McConaughey war drama, Free State Of Jones. You can follow the official Twitter page to see more on the release.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download:
The DVD came out in the UK on the 6th February 2017 and it was also made available on Blu-ray and digital download rental from the same date. iTunes has got the film listed for release on the 23rd January 2017 for digital download purchase and you can buy the DVD or Blu-ray with the link below:
DVD, Blue-ray and digital download special features:
- The Peculiar Story – Author Ransom Riggs, along with the cast and crew from the film, discuss how the story was adapted for its release as a movie
- The Peculiars – A behind the scenes special feature on the cast making up the peculiar children’s home
- Hollows And Ex-Hollows – Find out more about the Hollows and how they were created for the film
- Map Of Days – Discover Miss Peregrine’s home in all its glory
- Wish That You Were Here – Watch the Florence And The Machine music video
- Gallery – Never-before-seen sketches by Tim Burton and a selection of photographs from the making of the film
Age rating
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children has been given an age rating in the UK of 12A by the British Board Of Film Classification with “moderate threat, violence, and scary scenes”.
Production
In addition to Tim Burton directing, the film has been produced by Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for Chernin Entertainment with 20th Century Fox distributing. The adaptation screenplay has been written by the fantasy queen herself, Jane Goldman, adding to her growing list of darkly peculiar credits, which already includes Stardust, Kick-Ass, X-Men First Class and The Woman In Black.
Review
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children could have been a potential classic with both Tim Burton and Jane Goldman behind the movie making it dark, fantastical and action-packed, but it just falls short with a few rushed moments letting the film down. It delivers a strong adaptation of the characters that earned Ransom Riggs so many plaudits and while Chris O’Dowd’s accent is hard to come to terms with, the rest of the cast is very good throughout. Eva Green is particularly impressive as Miss Peregrine, and Ella Purnell, Samuel L. Jackson and Terence Stamp all put in stand out performances. There’s a of funky and freaky special effects and make-up, which is fairly effective for the most part, but there are a couple of scenes that needed a bit more quality behind the production. Read our full review of the DVD release for more on info.
