Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (DVD)

I will own this confession now: I adore Tim Burton. The darkly-twisted quirkiness of his storytelling totally appeals to the strange and unusual side of my movie-viewing preferences. So imagine how thrilled I was when I learned Burton would be directing the live-action adaption of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I mean, who else BUT Burton could handle a story like this? M. Night Shyamalan, perhaps (he does do pretty good with the bizarre, although he tends to lean more toward the horror side of the genre). But, if asked, Burton would be my #1 choice for a movie adaption of this most excellent book.

Overall: I liked it.

Sure it fell victim to the usual movie pitfalls: Things were left out of the movie that were in the book... Characters were different (namely, some of the powers/pecularities were switched around)... Things were added to the movie that weren't in the book... And the ending! Well, yes, it was different. Completely. But recall that the book ended in a major cliffhanger. Also note that no film sequels were in the plan. I can see why Burton decided to do what he did. And I'm glad he went that particular route. I'm sure the purists, thos who critique every bit of book-to-movie adaptions, have (and will) find all kinds of fault with this film. But I had no complaints. Basically, I thought it was a great film. Not my favorite Burton offering (that honor still belongs to Frankenweenie), but worthy. 

So what DID I like about it? 

The setting, for one. Burton was able to capture the eerie creepiness of the book. The fog-shrouded island populated by suspicious and unpleasant people, the deserted ruin of a house, and, in contrast the surreal beauty of life in the Loop. 

And the special effects were pretty sweet. Even the haters can attest to that. 

And yes, I liked the story. I liked what Burton did with it, the creative license he took, the changes he made. And I liked the ending. Liked how the bad guys were defeated and how everything worked out in the end.

So yes, I definitely recommend it. 

Although... My advice for those who have read the books: When seeing this movie, don't view it as an exact adaption. Take it for what it is and enjoy the story.

--AJB