For the most part, 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (2016)' plays very closely to the pretty-much patented 'young adult' formula, except for the fact that much of it skews slightly younger than you'd expect and, in the process, seems to make for excellent family fair. That's why the occasional flashes of real darkness - including some fairly grotesque monsters, a tangible sense of threat that does more than just loom and a set of villains who often literally eat the eyes of their foes on-screen - are all the more pervasive and perplexing, seeming to reduce the accessibility of a story that's honestly better suited to those it scares off. Still, there's entertainment to be had in the predictable plot and the hammy villain, played by the always energetic Samuel L. Jackson, is having more fun than any of us or the rest of the decent but generally dull cast, which really shows and adds to the enjoyment of his scenes. The picture may be a little dry overall and it can get kind of dull, but it's not bad by any stretch and is even pretty enjoyable at times, too. 6/10

Not quite sure what to say about this sad attempt at a "time travelling" school for X Men kids. I really thought this was going to be an exceptional film. A strange beginning then it just sort of ran out of steam. I was looking forward to some stunning SFX, sadly disappointed. As for the story line I guess it was conceived on the back of a beer mat in some draughty pub in the moors after a substantial amount of "real ale". Will we be watching it again? No. Not retained for future viewing.

It's safe to say I'm not the biggest Tim Burton fan, I find that his imagination takes over and detracts from a story. I was worried he would do the same here. Guess what? He did. A young teenager finds his grandfather dead, his last riddling words spark Jake into unraveling the mystery to his sudden death. He eventually discovers an alternate time loop that consists of children with special powers known as 'Peculiars'. We're talking invisibility, levitation, pyro-kinetics, a boy spewing bees from his mouth and a young girl with another mouth on the back of her head. Suffice to say, this was Burton's interpretation of the X-Men. Some of these peculiarities are useful and thoroughly explored, others are just shown once. On top of this we have 'Hollows', demented creatures that desire to eat the eyes of 'Peculiars' so that they can return to human form. Hmmmm how best to describe these ghastly creatures you might ask? Easy. Slender Man! Imagination aside, Burton has crafted yet another creative world. There is no doubt he is a genius when it comes to creating fantasy realms. The problem is, he doesn't focus on developing a coherent and compelling story. Guarantee atleast 90% of the dialogue is exposition. Explaining the vast amount of rules involving time loops, alternate realities, peculiarities and the primary antagonist...it's too much! It's overstuffed. It's important to include scenes where the characters just interact naturally without having to progress the story so that we can relate to them and become emotionally invested. It started off well, and then quickly descended into explanation hell. Apart from that massive issue, this film works as a family fantasy adventure. The visual effects were pretty decent for the most part, except the 'Hollows' who were terribly animated. Performances were serviceable. Asa Butterfield struggles occasionally to act with expression, but he does hold the film. Eva Green looked the part and was the only captivating performance. Not Burton's finest, but it is watchable.

Tim Burton is certainly peculiar enough. Based on a book, it that defies all laws of physics. This is a very adventurous story for all ages. A sort of x-kids in groundhog day loop controlled by a bird-lady. It is very good at all levels and fun. It has some depth. Great lessons. It's a sophisticated monster movie as well. I did not see the time pass.