There is this new movie about an awkward teenager who finds "belonging" among a bunch of kids with unusual powers and abilities.
No, he isn't a wizard with a lightning bolt-shaped scar.
This teenager lives in balmy Florida, and works at a grocery store. His name is Jacob (Jake for short).
He is close to his grandfather Abe. During Jake's formative years, Abe enchants him with all sorts of fantastical stories -- illustrated by old black-and-white photos of creepy gothic characters with special abilities Abe met during his younger years.
The beings in the pics didn't live at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, or even Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
They lived at "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."
This is the latest effort from light goth filmmaking master Tim Burton. Back in the day, his movies "Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands" fascinated viewers with eye-popping visuals, ironic humor, endearing characters, and hummable scores by Danny Elfman.
The movie is based on the popular children's book series by Ransom Riggs, who started his eclectic career as a filmmaker and blogger (there is hope for me yet).
When Abe mysteriously dies -- and leaves Jake with a clue-filled volume of Ralph Waldo Emerson writings -- the "hero's journey" is sparked, and Jake sets forth on a trip to Wales to investigate the cause of his grandfather's death.
All of this sounds like fertile (albeit familiar) territory for an intriguing tale of confounding clues, odd characters, and weird worlds.
The main issue is that the pacing feels a bit slow (particularly early on), and the story takes a while to hit its stride.
Jake is portrayed by actor Asa Butterfield, who has made a career in the fantasy genre (Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" ranks as a favorite of mine, and he recently starred in the movie based on "Ender's Game"). He capably plays a sullen teen, even if he is a bit "low energy" in this movie.
The rest of the cast features the likes of Allison Janney, Rupert Everett, Chris O'Dowd, and Terrence Stamp. Dame Judi Dench even makes an appearance.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the main antagonist, Barron. He seems to be having the most fun with the material, and Barron comes across as a "Halloween version" of the pitchman Jackson plays on the "Capital One" credit card commercials.
I don't want to give away too many of the main plot points, but Jake eventually finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
Along the way we learn that there are "loops" in our world that allow characters to bend time. There are evil beings referred to as "hollows" who are attempting to thwart the peaceful existence of the "peculiars."
Jake meets a girl named Emma -- a "peculiar" who floats like a balloon and can control air. Emma is portrayed by 16-year-old Ella Purnell, who does the best she can to harness her inner Christina Ricci/Helena Bonham Carter for the role.
There exists all variety of weirdness throughout the tale -- characters eating wiggling eyeballs, cotton candy employed as a weapon, a boy who transplants living hearts into inanimate objects, and a child who can project his dreams using a jeweler's eye loupe.
As a concession worker at Aksarben Cinema mentioned, "the last third of the movie was really weird."
While I found the tale to be intriguing, I felt there were some miscues by Tim Burton.
First and foremost is a compelling musical score. Movies like this depend on musical stylings, and much of the movie lacks any sort of melodic undertone.
Secondly, despite having a character who keeps living hearts in jars, the movie lacks a rhythmic pulse. At times it feels like a paint-by-numbers effort by Burton, where the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts.
My nieces Emily and Lauren have both read the Ransom Riggs novel, and both enjoyed the movie, but pointed out its drawbacks.
If Halloween fare with a dash of "creepy" is what you're looking for, check out "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." While it won't achieve "classic" status in the genre, it is entertaining.
Trailer:
Rated PG-13. Runtime: 2 hrs, 7 min
Read my recent blog post: "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" -- Trailer, Rumors and Tidbits
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