6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures out to destroy them.
Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Ella Purnell, Judi DenchAdventure | 100% |
Fantasy | 94% |
Family | 74% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Russian: DTS 5.1
Ukrainian: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Hebrew, Icelandic, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, Ukrainian
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Is there still magic in the cinematic universe after the end of the Harry Potter franchise? Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children would seem to be a fitting substitute, at least on a surface level, since it involves a gaggle of “gifted” youths whose special powers have made them protectorates of the titular Miss Alma Peregrine (Eva Green), a gifted individual herself who is able to transform into her surname’s bird form. The film’s source book by Ransom Riggs was a fascinating variation on what is called an “epistolary novel,” with (in this case) vintage photographs taking the place of “found” objects like letters and memos. It gave the book a really distinctive identity that would seem to play perfectly into the visual aesthetic of director Tim Burton. It’s perhaps a little odd, then, that Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children turns out to be a fairly staid enterprise, at least by typical Burton standards, one that can’t quite meld its Potter-esque (and it might be added X- Men-ish) tendencies with what might be called a certain Groundhog Day aspect to the plot mechanics. The film is certainly entertaining, but it by and large fails to connect emotionally despite some overt attempts to tug pretty mercilessly at various heartstrings.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDb actually came through this time and lists the Arri Alexa XT as the camera of choice, with a 2.8 source capture resolution finished at a 4K DI. The results are generally splendid looking, though this is one of the more curiously restrained outings from Tim Burton and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel in either man's filmography (Delbonnel perhaps not so coincidentally lensed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and he previously collaborated with Burton on both Dark Shadows and Big Eyes). There are a number of "looks" throughout the film, from the initial bright sunniness of Florida which suddenly turns both figuratively and literally dark and deep blue, to the kind of slate gray or (dare I mention this color?) teal look of Cairnholm, to the again buttery, summery ambience of the 1943 time loop that Miss Peregrine and the children reside in. Occasionally the film tips over into typical Burton grotesqueries, with brief flashbacks documenting the rise of the Hollows having an almost monochromatic appearance. Through all of these tonal changes, detail levels remain uniformly high, with the exception of some dimly lit interior scenes and, perhaps more understandably, a long underwater sequence where detail levels aren't quite as pronounced as the bulk of the presentation. There was just the barest hint of banding in this sequence on my display when light hit the water a couple of times, but it was extremely minor and transitory. CGI is a bit softer than the rest of the presentation. When not intentionally tweaked, the palette is nicely suffused and (in the sunny, ungraded moments at least) rather natural and refreshed looking.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children features a nicely immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track that exploits regular surround opportunities in a number of both effects laden sequences as well as simpler techniques like smart placement of ambient environmental sounds. The first appearance of a Hollow at what seems to be the death of Jake's grandfather has good low end as well as bursts of sonic energy when a gun is repeatedly fired. Later, water sounds enter the fray once Jake and his dad make it to the Welsh island. Even the seemingly calm environment of the 1943 time loop has nice elements like breezes ruffling through the side channels when Miss Peregrine takes Jake on a tour of the grounds. Perhaps oddly, then, this film's supposed "climax" is just a little lackluster in terms of showy sound effects. Otherwise, though, everything from dialogue to score sounds clear and damage and distortion free.
- Photographs (1080p; 1:13) is a fun side by side comparison of the vintage photos from Riggs' book and those created for the film
- Sketches by Tim Burton (1080p; 1:08)
I haven't been shy about complaining when filmmakers split one book into two films, as has happened repeatedly in the wake of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but I actually wonder if Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children might have benefitted from such an approach. There's a lot to like in this film, but much of it is severely underdeveloped to the point that my hunch is some viewers will end up giving the whole a decided "meh", when perhaps a little more time detailing backstories of both the kids and the villains might have paid greater dividends. The film has neither the pointed darkness nor the bizarre whimsy that has defined some previous Burton efforts, but it at least has some amazing topiaries that could have been sculpted by Edward Scissorhands (yes, that's a joke). With caveats duly noted and with an understanding that technical merits are very strong, for those desperate for even a little magic in their lives, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children comes Recommended.
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