‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ Critical Roundup: Reviews Not Awed By Tim Burton’s Latest
This Friday, Ransom Rigg’s novel “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is making its way to the big screen thanks to Tim Burton. The fantasy/adventure film follows a young boy, Jake (Asa Butterfield), who uncovers a secret refuge after discovering clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, he realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies. The first reviews are in, here’s what critics are saying.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich gave the film a C- and stated:
“This may not be the worst of Tim Burton’s recent movies, but it’s certainly the most disappointing. Thank God for Eva Green… ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ argues that the world is full of wonder and magic that would fill us with purpose if only we could see it. It’s a nice idea, but this movie has no idea where we ought to be looking.”
Peter Debruge of Variety was on the more positive side and appreciated the script and Green’s performance:
“[Jane] Goldman’s frequently amusing script is the secret ingredient that makes ‘Miss Peregrine’ such an appropriate fit for Burton’s peculiar sensibility, allowing the director to revisit and expand motifs and themes from his earlier work…[Burton] appears to have met his match in Green. The already-outré ‘Penny Dreadful’ star walks that razor-fine line between dignity and camp perhaps better than any other current actress — making for a partnership we can only hope to see continue.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy’s bottom line was, “Close, but no cigar.” He added:
“The Fox release should generate some robust initial business based on the built-in teen fan base as well as Burton fans, but whether it’s enough to spur sequels to the two remaining books in the trilogy is an open question.”
Alfonso Duralde of The Wrap quipped:
“What should have been a charming mix of the bizarre and the charming gets weighted down with clumsy plotting and exposition…This adventure should have been spooky and witty and exciting, but instead it’s just dreary and dull. Peculiarity has rarely been this tedious.”
Added Matt Donato of We Got This Covered:
“With ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,’ Tim Burton focuses all his energy on a dusty, far-too-droll buildup that’s far from worth whatever short-lived excitement his finale brings.”
Tom Huddleston of Time Out summed up the feature by writing:
“Like four or five Harry Potter books squeezed into a single movie.”
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
