You can already find a lot of Samuel L. Jackson movies on Disney Plus, thanks to the reams of Marvel content available on the platform, but another film featuring the legendary actor that’s kind of been forgotten about since its release five years ago has now also been added to the Mouse House service’s library. We’re talking about 2016’s Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a family fantasy flick from director Tim Burton.
Based on the hit photonovels by Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine stars Sex Education‘s Asa Butterfield as a kid from California whose quest to find out more about his grandfather’s gruesome death leads him across the Atlantic to a Welsh island, where he discovers a time-looped home for gifted children presided over by Eva Green’s titular headmistress. Unfortunately, the monster that killed his grandfather has followed him there – Jackson’s shapeshifting villain, Mr. Barron.
With a terrific cast that also includes the likes of Judi Dench, Allison Janey and Terence Stamp, Miss Peregrine is an entertaining enough ride and Burton has as much fun as you’d expect with the visual potential of the children’s strange powers – or peculiarities, as the movie’s lore puts it. However, the story’s bloated timey-wimey mythology isn’t always easy to follow or even all that engaging. If you’re watching it for Jackson, though, you’ll enjoy his incredibly OTT performance.
In terms of Burton’s filmography, it’s not one of his worst nor one of his best, probably falling somewhere in the lower-middle. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie sports a so-so critical score of 64% with a pretty much even audience rating of 60%. Since then, the director’s gone on to do 2019’s Dumbo remake – which is also available on D+ – and he’s currently teaming up with Netflix to helm Addams Family series Wednesday, his TV debut. But if you want to revisit Miss Peregrine, it’s now on Disney Plus.
Published: Mar 12, 2021 11:47 am