Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Parent Guide
The depicted teamwork and incredible visual effects are this big-budget production’s best features -- but the realism of the action also ups the fright factor.
Parent Movie Review
There is nothing unusual or important about Jake Portman (Asa Butterfield). Nothing, except perhaps his close relationship with his Grandpa Abe (Terence Stamp). So when the family receives a frantic phone call from the dementia sufferer, it is Jake who is sent to check out the situation. What the teen discovers proves life changing.
Arriving at his grandfather’s Florida dwelling, Jake finds the house ransacked and the screen door torn apart. Out back the elderly gentleman lies dead with his eyes missing and a bloodied kitchen utensil in his hands. Amazingly, the corpse speaks to him for a moment and imparts a cryptic message. The boy also catches a glimpse of a creepy looking man with white eyes, and some sort of monstrous beast. Although the authorities blame the incident on a dog attack, the confused youth is having trouble accepting their conclusion. After some counseling, his psychiatrist (Allison Janney) encourages Jake to visit the old man’s childhood home (which was mentioned during their final conversation) and see if that helps him find closure.
With his father (Chris O’Dowd) as a reluctant companion, Jake reaches the small island off the coast of Wales where young Abe lived in an orphanage. But it turns out the building was bombed during WWII, and all that is left is a tumbled down ruin. Disappointed, Jake decides to explore the site anyways. And that is when he stumbles upon the peculiar children who lived there during his grandfather’s time.
At first, he thinks they are ghosts. However, when he meets their guardian Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), she explains that he has simply traveled back in time where she and the other residents live in a loop that plays the same day over and over. She next introduces Jake to her gifted charges, such as Olive (Lauren McCrostie) whose touch can start a fire, Emma (Ella Purnell) who can float on air and Enoch (Finlay MacMillan) who has the morbid ability to put hearts (which he keeps in specimen bottles) into dead creatures or inanimate objects, and bring them to life. All of these people are very familiar to Jake, because when he was little his Grandpa told him stories about them.
Sadly, the delight of the visit changes when Jake becomes aware of the dangerous enemies that are stalking the peculiars – a group of white-eyed people (their leader is played by Samuel L. Jackson) who are accompanied by monstrous beasts. The tone of the movie changes at this point too. While it was a little creepy before, the screenplay now delves into the disturbing, with characters performing horrific experiments, portrayals of terrifying transformations and ghoulish depictions of creatures feasting on eyeballs. The carcasses of animals and dead people with empty eye sockets are shown. Ultimately, a life and death battle between the good and bad guys erupts, which includes weapon use, monster attacks and walking skeletons.
It is true that the conflict bonds the children together, and they begin to use their unique talents to protect themselves. That teamwork and the incredible visual effects are the big-budget production’s best features. Yet the realism of the action is sure to up the fright factor for young audiences.
Based on a book by Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will likely appeal to those who sometimes feel like they don’t quite belong (discovering a secret ability that makes you special seems to have universal appeal). And the time travel premise is interesting. Still, the graphic images in this X-men-meet-Harry-Potter-like tale will likely make it more suitable for only the oldest of those longing to see it.
Directed by Tim Burton. Starring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson. Running time: 127 minutes. Theatrical release September 30, 2016. Updated July 17, 2017
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Rating & Content Info
Why is Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children rated PG-13? Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of fantasy action/violence and peril.
Violence: Throughout the film characters are stalked by scary looking people with white eyes and terrifying monsters that crush, strangle and pluck out the eyes of anyone they catch. People and animals are killed, and some blood is seen. Corpses with no eyes are shown. A youth is teased and bullied by peers and adults. Guns, crossbows, knives, axes and other weapons are used. Houses and property are ransacked, torn apart, hit by bombs, set on fire and left derelict. Bodies of dead people talk and/or are temporarily brought back to life. Frightening transformations occur. A character is knocked unconscious. Morbid experiments are conducted that threaten the lives of those involved. A character implants hearts taken from various creatures into the bodies of dead things or inanimate objects, and brings them to life. Gladiator style battles are depicted. Characters fight for their lives against monsters, living skeletons and people who possess peculiar abilities. Graphic scenes show characters collecting eyeballs and eating them. Death threats are uttered. A woman lovingly hugs a dead child.
Sexual Content: A teen couple embraces and kisses. Teen characters strip down to their underwear before swimming. Infidelity is mentioned. An invisible character removes his clothes so he cannot be seen (obviously no nudity is seen either).
Language: The script includes infrequent mild cursing and terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Characters drinking in private and in a pub. A Character frequently smokes a pipe.
Page last updated July 17, 2017
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Parents' Guide
The character of Jake feels isolated, alone and like nothing he does makes a difference. Why are these feelings so universal? What things does he discover about himself that make him unique? What abilities might you have that make you special? How can we focus on those talents during times when we are tempted to believe we are unimportant?
Although the peculiar children all have unusual skills, they really don’t use them. What happens to change that? How does using their abilities help them change from feeling like victims to feeling like they have some control over their destinies?
Miss Peregrine’s goal is to keep protect her children. In what ways does that keep them safe and make them more vulnerable at the same time? Why are some of them getting tired of their cloistered life? Why are both good and bad experiences necessary for personal growth?
News About "Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children"
This movie is based on a the book Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.
From the Studio: When Jacob discovers clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers... and their powerful enemies. Ultimately, Jacob discovers that only his own special "peculiarity" can save his new friends. Written by 20th Century Fox
Home Video
The most recent home video release of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children movie is December 13, 2016. Here are some details…
Home Video Notes: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Release Date: 13 December 2016
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children releases to home video (DVD or 3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital HD or 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital HD) with the following extras:
- The Peculiar Story
- The Peculiars
- Hollows and Ex-Hollows
- Map Of Days: Miss Peregrine’s Home / Blackpool Tower
- “Wish That You Were Here” Florence + The Machine Music Video
- Gallery: Sketches By Tim Burton And Photographs
Related home video titles:
Other children show exceptional gifts/powers in Escape To Witch Mountain, Harry Potterand X-men: First Class.