MOVIE REVIEW: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Have you read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children? If not, here's a quick summary: a boy named Jake follows clues left to him by his grandfather that lead him to an orphanage on a Welsh island. But this is no ordinary orphanage—it's a secret place for children with unusual abilities. And it's run by a headmistress named Miss Peregrine, who has her own peculiarities. As Jake learns more about her and the children at the orphanage, he starts to uncover some very dark and scary secrets (spoiler alert: these secrets may involve monsters!). Is he safe? Who can he trust? And does he have any unusual abilities of his own? These questions and more send Jake on a journey to find the answers.

Thrills and chills

Jake's adventure is thrilling. But it's also chilling. The book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is known for its dark plot and characters. And the movie is no different. Right from the start, the setting is strange and spooky. And it gets even more so when Jake and his dad reach the orphanage.

Make no mistake—there are sweet, funny, and exciting moments in this movie, but it's definitely on the scary side. If you don't like that type of thing, this flick may not be for you.

Weird and wonderful

Scary stuff aside, this movie is also really magical. It transports you to a whole other world. This has a lot to do with the director, Tim Burton, who is famous for making eerie and enchanting fantasy films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland.

Miss Peregrine's, like many of Burton's movies, also speaks to the way a lot of us out there feel: that we're a little bit weird and we don't fit in. And hey, that's okay! In fact, it's better than okay. Because the unusual abilities that make the children in this movie so weird are also what make them so wonderful. Besides, being able to make fire with your hands or bring dead creatures back to life can also come in handy when battling evil monsters.

Meet the peculiars: Olive, Bronwyn, Millard, The Twins, and Emma. (© 20th Century Fox Films)

If you're a fan of any of Tim Burton's movies, or Harry Potter or X-Men, you're probably going to like Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Check out the trailer below. And if you go see the movie, come back and share your thoughts!