Brought to life on the movie screen by Tim Burton, the novel Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children follows teen Jacob Portman on his journey to discovering a new world. It is the first book in a trilogy, its sisters being Hollow City and Library of Souls. Author Ransom Riggs incorporates hair-raising black and white photos to assist the reader in imagining the plot. After spending 70 weeks on top of New York Times Best Sellers List and being wildly enjoyed by a large audience, Miss Peregrine’s held real promise for a successful adaptation on the big screen.
As a fanatic of the series, I walked into the movie theatre hopeful. Tim Burton’s touch of eerie movie magic was just what I believed the film would need. Right off the bat, I was charmed by the casting of Asa Butterfield as Jacob. Both are tall, lanky brunettes, and it was very easy to look at Butterfield and see Jacob, a socially awkward rich boy that just wants to rebel against his slightly stuck-up parents. The film on its own, without prior knowledge of the book, was superb. The manner in which it was filmed, the dialogue, and the characters were all brilliant.
However, if you read the book, like me, it’s more than likely you’ll find the movie terrible in regards to staying true to the book. Between adding unnecessary characters (the Twins with Medusa-like powers) and removing necessary characters (Ricky, a poor rebellious guy who is Jacob’s only friend at the beginning of the book), I was disappointed. But not as disappointed as I was at the ending.
At the beginning of the book, Jacob’s grandfather was murdered by a creature only he and his grandson could see. This scene is crucial to the rest of the book. Grandpa Portman’s last words lead Jacob on his mission to finding out the truth of his grandfather’s past. Also, finding his grandfather dying in the woods deeply scars Jacob and changes him mentally. What really made me angered was that the writers brought Grandpa Portman back in the end, therefore changing the whole ending.
In short, the movie adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is definitely worth seeing from a movie standpoint; but be warned if you have read the books, you will be disappointed. My suggestion for those who haven’t seen the movie or read the book? Read the book after watching the movie to avoid seething in your seat.