I am so glad I read the books first.

Having read both books, I can safely say that the Tim Burton movie is way less intriguing than I thought it would be. Apart from the amazing CGI and Eva Green obviously, the movie was a bit laggish and missing so many significant details mentioned in the book and there was a slight mix-up (I’m guessing intentional) in the children’s peculiarity… Wasn’t Emma suppose to have the fiery hands and Olive the ability to lift off? Dr. Golan is also originally a man. I’m not quite sure why Tim Burton decided to alter the original story, but I’m sure he had his reasons.

Film adaptations can be quite tricky to produce as the original books often outshine them. Films are usually resized and squeezed into a 100 min’ feature (more or less) so it’s impossible not to leave out a few important things. Having said that, the movie just didn’t cut it for me and I feel exactly as I felt when Alice in Wonderland came out… a slight disappointment. Is Tim Burton neglecting the story-line completely for the sake of a brilliant CGI?

Some of the characters were so differently portrayed in the book than in the film. Bronwyn, for instance, I imagined to have a bigger and stronger physique, Millard I thought would be taller, Fiona more shabby looking and Olive much tinier. The rest was spot on, from the children’s home and the loop to the hollows and of course Miss Peregrine herself.

Eva Green is captivating and enigmatic as ever. Although a much prettier version than the book, I can’t think of a better choice for the role. She’s my ultimate girl-crush.

You have to appreciate Tim Burton for choosing what somehow works, be it his choice of actors, grim stories and collaborations. Although not choosing Danny Elfman to compose the music for this one, Burton is continuously working with costume designer Colleen Atwood who just pulls off the best costume designs beyond imagination. Every hem, stitch, knit, fabric and color coordination is thought of to pure perfection. This cannot be left unnoticed by someone who adores costumes as I, as they are for sure extremely symbolic to Burton’s quirky, eccentric and dark nature.

All in all, I would give Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children a 3.5 out of 5. Fascinating production, poor adaptation, though…

Thanks for reading.