If Tim Burton directs Samuel L. Jackson playing a sarcastic villain in a movie, I’m there to see it.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” had a little bit of everything. The first 20 minutes of the movie fooled me into thinking it would be horror-based, but then it transformed into mystery, then action and then a little bit of comedy. The movie revolves around Jake (Asa Butterfield), a loner 17-year-old who lives in Florida. From the get go, Jake’s grandfather, Abe (Terence Stamp), is portrayed as a strange character, but his behavior is attributed to old age and dementia. Jake’s parents are workaholics who often call Abe to babysit Jake. Ever since Jake was a child, his grandfather has told him about growing up in a Welsh orphanage alongside children with strange powers and monsters who are out to get them.

Jake, now older and wiser, no longer believes in his grandfather’s stories about living in the orphanage run by Miss Peregrine (Eva Green), but a family tragedy helps him realize the truth behind them. Jake uses photographs of children from the orphanage, provided by his grandfather, to try and piece together Abe’s past and figure out how it connects to his present. Throughout the rest of the movie, Jake travels back and forth through time alongside Miss Peregrine and her peculiar orphans. The group has to defeat the “white eyes”, humans who have mutated into monsters that eat peculiars’ eyes to regain human form.

Although the book came out in 2011, I never got around to reading it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super into creepy/mysterious books but something about this one just didn’t pull me in. I can’t say the same about the movie, though. I really enjoyed everything from the ominous tone to the comedic breaks. The movie didn’t hold back with special effects which were necessary to portray the peculiar children’s powers. Fortunately, Burton pulled it off almost flawlessly, and there were times where I was genuinely creeped out.

Butterfield’s acting was impressive, especially because he’s British and had to pull off an American accent. Jackson’s acting was close to perfect and he did a great job of transitioning from serious to humorous, since his character was the villain and cracked jokes. I don’t think any other actress could’ve portrayed Miss Peregrine as well as Green did, because she fits the Burton style.

Overall, I would recommend watching this movie even though it gets a little bit confusing because of the time travelling. The intriguing plot mixed with Burton’s direction and attention to visual appeal keep viewers watching and wondering.