Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (film)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Tim Burton
Produced by	Peter Chernin Jenno Topping
Screenplay by	Jane Goldman
Based on	Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Starring	Eva Green Asa Butterfield Chris O'Dowd Allison Janney Rupert Everett Terence Stamp Ella Purnell Judi Dench Samuel L. Jackson
Music by	Mike Higham Matthew Margeson
Cinematography	Bruno Delbonnel
Edited by	Chris Lebenzon
Production companies	Chernin Entertainment Tim Burton Productions TSG Entertainment Scope Pictures St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commission Ingeniøus
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	September 25, 2016 (2016-09-25) (Fantastic Fest) September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30) (United States) September 28, 2016 (2016-09-28) (Philippines)
Running time	127 minutes[1]
Country	United States[2]
Language	English
Budget	$110 million[3][4]
Box office	$259.7 million[3]

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a 2016 American dark fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by Jane Goldman, based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs. The film stars Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Chris O'Dowd, Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Terence Stamp, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench and Samuel L. Jackson.

Filming began in February 2015 in London and the Tampa Bay Area. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas on September 25, 2016 and was theatrically released in the United States on September 30, 2016 by 20th Century Fox.^[5] It has grossed over $259 million worldwide, against a production budget of $110 million.

Plot

For years Abe Portman (Terence Stamp) has told stories to his Floridan grandson Jake (Asa Butterfield) about his childhood battling monsters and spending World War II living at "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" at Cairnholm, Wales. The home's children and their headmistress, Miss Alma Peregrine (Eva Green), possess paranormal abilities and are known as "Peculiars". After 16 year old Jake received a phone call from his grandfather, he goes to his house with his drugstore superviser Shelly (O-Lan Jones) and finds him dying mysteriously, with his eyes missing, Abe tells Jake to go to "September 3, 1943", before he dies.

Convinced by his psychiatrist, Dr. Golan (Allison Janney) and from a letter by Miss Peregrine to Abe, Jake and his father Frankiln (Chris O'Dowd) travel to Cairnholm, where Jake finds that the children's home was destroyed during a Luftwaffe raid at "September 3, 1943". At the house, the Peculiar children come out to greet him, startling Jak. They take him through a cave and he finds himself in 1943, when their house is still intact. Miss Peregrine greets him, who explains that she belongs to a class of female Peculiars named "Ymbrynes", who transform into birds (in Miss Peregrine's case, a peregrine falcon) and manipulate time. To avoid persecution for being Peculiars, she and her children hide from the outside world in a time loop she created, set to September 3, 1943, meaning that they all live the same day over and over again.

Jake is introduced to the rest of the children, including aerokinetic Emma Bloom (Ella Purnell), whom he is attracted to. He also learns about "Hollowgasts" (or "Hollows") - monsters that are invisible to everyone. However, Jake learns he himself is a Peculiar; like his grandfather, he has the ability to see the Hollows. Hollows are Peculiars who were transformed by a failed experiment by using an Ymbryne's powers to become immortals. Led by shapeshifter Mr. Barron (Samuel L. Jackson), they hunt Peculiars to consume their eyeballs. When enough eyeballs are consumed the Hollows transform into milky-white eyed visible Peculiars known as "Wights".

A wounded Ymbryne avocet bird named Miss Avocet (Judi Dench), comes and reveals (also by another letter from Abe to Miss Peregrine) that Barron raided her January 2016 time loop at Blackpool, England, killed her children and is trying to repeat his failed experiment by using more Ymbrynes. Worried, Miss Peregrine decides to move out with her children and Miss Avocet. While back in 2016, Jake realizes earlier that a Hollow might be nearby and goes back to the cave to warn his friends. He is followed by another visitor on the island, ornithologist John Lemmon (Rupert Everett), revealed to be Mr. Barron. Barron had tried to find out about Miss Peregrine’s loop from Abe, but his Hollow companion, Mr. Malthus (the one's past self on the island), killed Abe before he could. Barron then posed as Dr. Golan, encouraging him to go to the island so Jake could guide him to the loop. Using Jake as a hostage at the children's home, Barron forces Miss Peregrine to come with him to Blackpool (in her peregrine form) and leave Jake, her children and Miss Avocet for their own safety.

Malthus arrives and kills Miss Avocet, but Jake and the children escape just as the Luftwaffe raid destroys the house and kills Malthus. Without Miss Peregrine to reset it, the loop closes, leaving them permanently in 1943. They travel on a sunken ocean liner to the Blackpool loop and use their abilities to fight Barron's Hollow and Wight minions and rescue Miss Peregrine and other captive Ymbrynes. As a last resort, Barron poses as Jake to confuse the children. When the last Hollow arrives, Jake, who can see the monster, is able to avoid him, and Barron is killed by him and killed in his turn by Jake.

Jake says goodbye to the children and returns to the present world at Florida, relating his adventures to Abe, who is alive and well: Malthus' death in 1943 erased himself and his murder of Abe from the future (2016). Abe gives Jake a map of time loops, allowing Jake to reunite with his friends and Emma. The two kiss as Miss Peregrine (in peregrine form) follows them and all of her children in their own ship, looking for another time loop.

Cast

The Peculiars

The Peculiar Adults

• Eva Green as Miss Alma LeFay Peregrine, the strict but caring Ymbryne headmistress of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children who can transform into a peregrine falcon and manipulate time.^[6]
• Terence Stamp as Abraham "Abe" Portman, Jake's grandfather who can see the invisible Hollows.
  • Callum Wilson as a young Abe.^[7][8]
• Judi Dench as Miss Esmeralda Avocet, the Ymbryne headmistress of Miss Avocet's Home for Peculiar Children who escapes to Miss Peregrine's after Mr. Barron's henchmen invade her time loop and kill her children. Miss Avocet, like Miss Peregrine, can manipulate time and can transform into an avocet bird.

The Peculiar Children

• Asa Butterfield as Jacob "Jake" Portman, a 16-year-old American teenager and Abe's grandson. Who visits Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and is given by Miss Peregrine the task/promise of protecting the Peculiar children. Jake, like his grandfather, Abe, has the ability to see the invisible Hollows. Butterfield also portrays Mr. Barron in his Jake disguise.^[9]
  • Aiden Flowers as a 10-year-old Jake.
  • Nicholas Oteri as a 6-year-old Jake.
• Ella Purnell as Emma Bloom, an aerokinetic teenager who can manipulate air and create liquid bubbles under water. She is lighter than air, and must always wear lead shoes or a tether to keep from floating away. She is Abe's former love interest in the 1940s and Jake's current love interest.^[10][11]
• Finlay MacMillan as Enoch O'Connor, a teenager who can resurrect the dead and bring to life inanimated objects for a limited time by placing a heart inside. He is also Olive's love interest.^[11]
• Lauren McCrostie as Olive Abroholos Elephanta, a pyrokinetic teenager and Enoch's love interest. She has to wear always gloves, in order to prevent burning everything she touches.
• Cameron King as Millard Nullings, an invisible boy.^[11]
• Pixie Davies as Bronwyn Bruntley, a super-strong young girl.^[11]
• Georgia Pemberton as Fiona Frauenfeld, a young girl who can control and maintain plants.^[11]
• Milo Parker as Hugh Apiston, a boy with bees in his stomach.^[11]
• Raffiella Chapman as Claire Densmore, a young girl with an extra sharped-toothed mouth hidden behind her head.^[11]
• Hayden Keeler-Stone as Horace Somnusson, a stylish boy who can project his dreams through a monocle; they are sometimes prophetic.^[11]
• Joseph and Thomas Odwell as the Twins, two masked gorgon twin boys, who keep their peculiarity secret during most of the time in the movie. Later in the climax their peculiarity of petrification is revealed. Petrification is the process of turning objects (and/or people) to stone.
• Louis Davison as Victor Bruntley, Bronwyn's late older brother, who shares her ability. He was killed by a Hollow prior to the film.^[11]

The Wights

• Samuel L. Jackson as Mr. Barron, the shapeshifting leader of the Wights and Hollows. Barron and his Wight and Hollow minions hunt Peculiars and devour their eyes upon capture to recover human form.^[9] His peculiarity is shapeshifting, with the exception of his glowing milky-white eyes (he has to wear contact lenses), allowing him also to disguise himself and form blades, axes and/or lassos with his own hands.
  • Allison Janney as Dr. Golan, Jake's psychiatrist who acts as a disguise for Mr. Barron.^[7]
  • Rupert Everett as John Lemmon, an ornithologist who acts as another disguise of Mr. Barron's.^[7]
• Scott Handy as Mr. Gleeson, a cryokinetic Wight.
• Helen Day as Miss Edwards, a half-simian Wight with great agility, dexterity and mobility.
• Jack Brady as Mr. Clark, a Wight.
• Philip Philmar as Mr. Archer, a Wight.

The Non-Peculiars

• Chris O'Dowd as Franklin Portman, Jake's distant father and Abe's son.^[7][12]
• Kim Dickens as Maryann Portman, Jake's cautious mother.^[7]
• O-Lan Jones as Shelly, Jake's drugstore superviser and co-worker.
• Jennifer Jarackas as Susie Portman, Franklin's sister and Jake's aunt who passes him her father Abe's gift.
• George Vricos as Bobby, Susie's husband and Jake's uncle.
• Shaun Thomas and Justin Davis as Dylan and Worm, two Welsh teenagers whom Jake meets in Cairnholm.

Production

The film rights to the 2011 novel Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs were sold to 20th Century Fox on May 17, 2011. Chernin Entertainment also signed on to produce the film, with producers Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark and Jenno Topping.^[13] On November 15 the same year, Deadline.com reported that Tim Burton was in talks to direct the film, and it was also revealed that he would be involved with the studio in setting a writer to adapt the novel.^[14] On December 2, Jane Goldman was reportedly hired to adapt the story as a screenplay for the film, while Burton was not confirmed yet.^[15]

On July 28, 2014, Eva Green was set to play Miss Peregrine in the film.^[6] On September 24, 2014, it was announced that Asa Butterfield was being eyed for the second lead role as Burton's choice, but at that time he had not yet been offered the role.^[16] On November 5, 2014, Ella Purnell was offered a role and was in final talks to join the film; it was also reported that Butterfield had been offered the male lead role, and was the favored choice.^[10] On February 6, 2015, Samuel L. Jackson was added to the cast to play Mr. Barron, while Butterfield was confirmed for the second lead role.^[9] Terence Stamp, Chris O'Dowd, Rupert Everett, Kim Dickens, and Judi Dench were announced as being in the cast on March 12, 2015.^[7]

Filming was initially set to begin in August 2014 in London.^[17] On February 17, 2015, Tampa Bay Times revealed that some parts of the film were being shot in Florida.^[18] Principal photography on the film began on February 24, 2015 in the Tampa Bay Area.^[19] Filming lasted for two weeks in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, in the Florida area.^[19] It is the second Tim Burton film to be shot in the Tampa Bay area, the first being Edward Scissorhands, in 1989.^[19] Production of the film later moved to Caerhays Castle and Minions in Cornwall, and Blackpool in the United Kingdom, and Brasschaat, a municipality close to Antwerp, Belgium.^[7][20][21]

Music

The film's score was composed by Mike Higham and Matthew Margeson. The soundtrack was released on October 11, 2016 by La-La Land Records. Florence and the Machine recorded the film's end credits song, "Wish That You Were Here".

Release

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was originally set for a release date of July 31, 2015.^[22] The release date moved from July 31, 2015, to March 4, 2016, then moved its release date again from March 4, 2016, to December 25, 2016,^[5] before finally moved from December 25, 2016, to September 30, 2016. In Taiwan, it was released on September 27.

Box office

As of November 13, 2016, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children had grossed $85.7 million in North America and $174.1 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $259.8 million.^[3]

In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside Deepwater Horizon and was projected to gross around $25 million from 3,522 theaters in its opening weekend.^[4][23] In total, the film earned $28.9 million during its opening weekend, finishing first at the box office.^[24] The opening was on par with Dark Shadows' $29.7 million in 2012, Burton's last big budgeted film.^[24] Variety called it "a mediocre start" given the film's $110 million budget.^[25]

It had number one openings in Russia ($6.3 million), France ($5.3 million), Mexico (3.8 million), Australia ($3.1 million), Brazil ($2.7 million) and the Philippines ($1.7 million) and the biggest opening for Burton in Malaysia and Indonesia.^[26][27] In South Korea, it debuted at number two with $5.2 million. The film is set to open in China and Italy in December 2016 and Japan in February 2017.^[28]

Critical response

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children received mixed reviews from critics.^[29] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 63% based on 191 reviews with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children proves a suitable match for Tim Burton's distinctive style, even if it's on stronger footing as a visual experience than a narrative one."^[30] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 57 out of 100 based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.^[32]

IGN critic Samatha Ladwig gave the film a 7.2/10, summarizing her review with: "Though there are lingering questions about certain characters by the time the end credits roll, the film's striking visuals help compensate for its unemotional and anti-climactic script."^[33] Justin Chang of Los Angeles Times wrote "Easily the director's finest work since his masterful 2007 screen adaptation of Sweeney Todd, and a striking reminder of what an unfettered gothic imagination can achieve with the right focus and an infusion of discipline."^[34] USA Today's Brian Truitt gave the film 3½ out of 4 and wrote, "After a long run of dystopian YA movies for teen crowds, Burton is just the right guy to make cinema weird again."^[35] Calvin Wilson of St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film 3½ out of 4 and stated, "Burton delivers his most ambitious and engaging film since Sweeney Todd (2007). Although the story becomes increasingly complex as it goes along, the emotional payoff is more than worth it."^[36]

Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film 3 out of 4 and wrote "The very idea of this - at once gruesome and darkly funny — is perfectly suited to Burton's sensibility, which also reveals itself in the casting of Butterfield, who has the quality of a young, slightly less freaky Johnny Depp."^[37] The Guardian's Jordan Hoffman gave the film 4 out of 5 and said, "We get the playfulness of seeing quirky magic powers mixed with the familiarity of how a time loop plays out. Add in Burton's authorial visual stamp and what we've got is an extremely pleasing formula. It gels as Tim Burton's best (non-musical) live-action movie for 20 years."^[38] James Berardinelli from ReelViews gave the film 3 out of 4 and stated, "Overall, despite feeling a little long and suffering from a rushed ending, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fresh and engaging storybook adventure that should appeal to viewers both inside and out of the core demographic."^[39] The New York Times' Manohla Dargis gave a positive review, writing: "The story gets awfully busy — you may get lost in 1943 or perhaps closer to the present — but it scarcely matters. Mr. Burton's attention to detail and to the ebb and flow of tone (scary, funny, eerie), as well as his sensitive, gentle work particularly with the child actors, make each new turn another occasion for unfettered imagination."^[40] Devan Coggan from Entertainment Weekly gave the film "B-" (67/100), with describing the film "The film chooses style over substance, emphasizing how cool the children's powers are without fleshing them out as full characters. To compete with Burton's best, his heroic weirdos need a little more heart — and the monsters need sharper teeth."^[41]

On the other hand, Kyle Smith of the New York Post, Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times and Tom Huddleston of Time Out decried the film. According to Smith, who gave the film 2 stars out of 4: "It may be senseless, but it's sumptuous: the picture looks like it cost about a billion bucks, with absolutely every detail giving Burton an excuse to take his mad picture-book mind and let loose, the way Emma the girl full of air keeps soaring away from earthly constraints. Burton may give us a bland hero, a tepid love story and a muddled plot but, hey, at least he's got a skeleton army doing battle with giant tentacle monsters at an amusement park."^[42] Roeper, who scored the film 1½ stars out of 4, began his review by writing: "I'm wondering if the mutant kids at Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ever play basketball against their rivals across the pond, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I'd watch that. I'd certainly rather watch that than Tim Burton's adaptation of the popular children's book about a school for freakishly gifted children. This is a messy, confusing, uninvolving mishmash of old-school practical effects and CGI battles that feels ... off nearly every misstep of the way.^[43] Tom Huddleston of Time Out gave the film 2 stars out of 5, writing: "Director Tim Burton likes his films busy: watch a classic like Beetlejuice or Batman, and you'll be pushed to find a single frame that isn't packed with background detail, weird creatures, ornate furnishings and intricate costumes. The problem with his new film, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, is that the script is every bit as busy and it can get pretty confusing."^[44]

References

External links

• Official website
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children at the Internet Movie Database