Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (12A)

As a fan of Ransom Riggs book, a long-time fan of Tim Burton (I like to pretend 'Dark Shadows' didn't happen) and a relatively new fan of Jane Goldman. I was quite confident that Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was in safe, deliciously dark and humorous hands and I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed. 

The film tells the tale of a young, seemingly ordinary boy named Jacob (great performance by London born Asa Butterfield- he definitely has a promising career ahead of him) who follows the trail of his Grandfather's (Terence Stamp) old photographs, letters and, supposedly far-fetched stories. Finally, to get some closure and uncover the truth about his past.

What he ends up finding is far more peculiar (sorry!) than he could have ever imagined as he realises that perhaps his life is not so 'ordinary' after all.

First off the whole thing is visually stunning. The opening credits are beautiful with moments of sepia photography and ink blot writing which really sets the tone for the film. I also liked the contrast of colours and brightness that Burton used to differentiate the present day (dark and gloomy) and the 1943 'time loop' (bright and colourful).

I'm not usually a huge fan of CGI but I thought it was used very well and just the right amount in this film. We are also treated to some gorgeous stop motion and even a bit of puppetry (Parts of the film felt like a delightful mixture of Del Toro and Ray Harryhausen).

The film has quite an impressive cast with such greats as Samuel. L Jackson, Judi Dench and Rupert Everett, who don't disappoint. If anything I feel like we didn't get to see enough of Samuel. L Jackson who plays the deliciously dark, yet charming villain 'Barron' who comes out with some great one liners thanks to Jane Goldman’s script.

We are also introduced to a whole host of new up-and-coming young performers, who play the 'Peculiars'. Ella Purnell, who plays the doe eyed, feisty Emma, did a fantastic job and is one to watch out for in the future. I was also really impressed with Eva Green's performance as the mysterious and allusive 'Miss Peregrine'.

Unfortunately, things did start to feel a little bit rushed towards the end, almost as if they were trying to cram three books worth of story into one movie which is a shame as I would have liked to see the final act played out a little slower.

Although I had read the first book, I do wonder if viewers who have not read the books at all would be able to follow what was going on at certain points as it did seem to get a little bit wibbly, wobbly, timey, wimey!

Fans of the books will have also noticed a few changes (mainly the swapping of powers between 'Emma' and 'Olive') but these are forgivable and I think Jane Goldman did a great job adapting Ransom Riggs book to the big screen.

The overall, dark, tone was very faithful and it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone movie. 

If you're a fan of dark fairy tales, sci-fi, horror and creepy monsters (Very creepy in fact!) then I believe you will really enjoy this movie.

This film definitely earned its 12A rating.

In cinemas from September 30.