MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN   3.2***

     “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children” Is quite a surprisingly complex story involving time travel and time loops so I'll try to keep this as simple as possible. 

The story is about Jake played by Asa Butterfield, who, following his beloved Grandfather's death (under strange circumstances) travels to Wales with his Father to solve the mystery of his demise. It's all connected to an orphanage where a group of children with peculiar gifts live in a time loop where the same day in June 1943 is repeated over and over (shades of  “Groundhog Day”) to keep them safe from the ravages of WW2. The children are looked after by Miss Peregrine, wonderfully played by Eva Green, who controls the time loop and there Jake must unravel the reasons behind his grandfather's demise with the help of the children and of course Miss Peregrine. 

The kids featured in this film are adorable once you get used to their peculiarities and some can be somewhat surprising.. And once they start teaming up and working together, it's easy to cheer for them.   Eva Green's is absolutely perfect in this role, She has that natural instinct when it comes to playing mysterious powerful character. The movie is kind of like Mary Poppins meets X-Men meets Tim Burton, and it's a winning combination.

Tim Burton (one of my favorite directors) once again delivers a breathtaking but complex movie with gorgeous visuals. The look and feel of the movie is typical Tim Burton. It has that dark slightly gothic style that Burton fans know and love. But even if you're not a fan of his work there's still loads to enjoy. However there are some flaws. The script is sometimes all over the place and due to the time travel element you really have to keep your eye on the ball or else you'll be scratching your head wondering what the hell is going on. There's are a couple of plot holes that are a problem and Samuel L Jackson, as the main villain, is fun but a little too much over the top.

Apart from that,  there's a lot to like. Once again Burton has crafted a mesmerizing adventure for all the family ( except children less than 12)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy action/violence and peril involving huge monsters. skeletons and scary puppets.

Clark

NOTE: Beautiful soundtrack even though it is only the 3^rd of the many Burton films not done by Hans Zimmer. There are 2 especially good vocals … one at the beginning and the best of the 2 at the end as the credits are rolling ( it’s  by Florence Welch and entitled  "Wish That You Were Here" which should be nominated for an Oscar for Best Song)