Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Movie · 2016 · Fantasy, Adventure, Drama, Family, Thriller · 2h 7m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.5/10 (862.2K ratings)
Stay peculiar.
Overview
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.5/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.30/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Metacritic: 57
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Tim Burton
Production
Chernin Entertainment, Tim Burton Productions, TSG Entertainment, 20th Century Fox
Cast
Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Chris O'Dowd, Allison Janney, Ella Purnell, Terence Stamp, Milo Parker, Cameron King, Finlay MacMillan, Callum Wilson, Kim Dickens, Lauren McCrostie, Pixie Davies, Georgia Pemberton, Raffiella Chapman, Hayden Keller-Stone, Joseph Odwelll
Where to watch
Disney Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A visually distinctive Tim Burton fantasy with enough gothic whimsy, creature design, and ensemble charm to reward fans of offbeat YA adventure, but the story can feel overstuffed and emotionally thin. It’s more enjoyable as a mood piece than as a fully satisfying adaptation.
Best for
Tim Burton fans
viewers who like gothic fantasy and spooky fairy-tale imagery
audiences in the mood for a weird, glossy YA adventure
fans of Eva Green’s larger-than-life screen presence
Skip if
you want tight plotting and clean world-building
you’re allergic to Burton’s mannered visual style
you prefer grounded fantasy over stylized spectacle
you need strong emotional payoff from the central story
Overview
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is one of those movies that lives or dies on whether you’re in the mood for Tim Burton’s particular flavor of ornate, melancholy oddness. The production design, creature effects, and haunted-childhood atmosphere are the main attractions, and they’re often more compelling than the screenplay’s mechanics.
Worth noting
Eva Green gives the film its best charge, and the ensemble of strange kids has enough personality to make the setup feel inviting. The movie’s biggest weakness is that it keeps introducing wonders without fully developing them, so the emotional stakes can feel rushed even when the imagery is memorable.
Bottom line
As a piece of family-friendly gothic fantasy, it’s entertaining and occasionally inspired, but it’s also uneven and a little overpacked. If you like Burton when he’s leaning into macabre whimsy and storybook gloom, there’s plenty here to enjoy; if you need narrative precision, it may leave you cold.
Top Letterboxd reviews
𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠˚✩*ੈ˚ (3.5★) · 9489 likes
i saw a tiktok the other day that said something like “there is nothing more heartbreaking than enjoying a movie only to log onto letterboxd and find out people didn’t like it” and i felt that extremely hard.
carolina (2.5★) · 6094 likes
this dude is dating his grandpa's ex
˗ˏˋ suspirliam ˊˎ˗ (4★) · 3461 likes
sir tim burton served with this one y’all just too scared to admit it!!!
clownhead (3★) · 2168 likes
analytical brain: not great
gay brain: EVA FUCKING GREEN
analytical brain: good point!
Lucy (4★) · 2145 likes
i'm gonna adopt all of those peculiar children!!! they're my kids now
1986 · Adventure, Family, Fantasy · 1h 41m · PG · Curator 6.1/10 (643.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Hulu, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Night Flight Plus, Netflix Standard with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
For elaborate fantasy design, strange creatures, and a playful but eerie storybook tone.
2006 · Adventure, Fantasy, Drama · 1h 57m · R · Curator 8.5/10 (297.9K ratings) · Where to watch: MUBI
For viewers drawn to lush visual fantasy and a childlike sense of wonder, even when the story is secondary.
Topics
gothic fantasy, YA adventure, dark whimsy, monster movie, found family, coming-of-age, time travel, spooky atmosphere, family-friendly horror, stylized production design