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Burton's 'Peculiar Children' a sweet fantasy with mind-blowing visuals

Tim Burton's “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children” has all the makings of a supernatural franchise: the call of destiny, the making of heroes and the embrace of kinship.

Plus, coming to terms with your inner freak.

Asa Butterfield (he played Martin Scorsese's “Hugo”) plays Jake, a young man who stumbles upon a secret refuge for supernaturally gifted youngsters hiding in a 1943 time loop.

Our hero befriends the mysterious schoolmarm Miss Peregrine (a delicious Eva Green, channeling a sexy Mary Poppins by way of Helena Bonham Carter) and learns that the children are in danger from ever-growing malevolent forces.

These kids float, spark fire, manipulate plants, control bees and give life to inanimate objects. Call them X-Tweens.

They're the unlikely young heroes and heroines of Burton's 3-D film loosely based on the novel by Ransom Riggs. Burton directs a perfect film for young, disaffected mutant friends, a sweet tale with some mind-blowing visual effects.

Burton also is a perfect filmmaker to direct this project. The material already possesses a gloomy, Victorian vibe, a stylized dreamlike quality and a Goth-punk look.

Jake (Asa Butterfield), left, develops a bond with Emma (Ella Purnell), who has some unusual gifts, in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."

Burton famously adores misfits, and here he has a school full of them.

No surprise that screenwriter Jane Goldman wrote the adaptation for this movie. She's already dealt with both mutants and the 1940s as the screenwriter for “X-Men: First Class.”

A ponderous first half leads to a hard-charging second, filled with ingenious fight scenes, glorious ocean liners and sublime underwater moments.

“Peculiar Children” should come with a Harry Potter-esque warning for those allergic to whimsical vocabulary terms such as “ymbrines,” “Hollows” and “hollowgasts.” But go with it. Your head will be in pain soon enough trying to make sense of the increasingly elaborate rules of time-travel and body shifting.

Hyper-stylized films like this one usually create stiff performances, but Terence Stamp is grounded as a knowing grandfather. Chris O'Dowd is perfectly oafish as a clueless dad. Judi Dench, Allison Janney and Rupert Everett supply quick cameos. (Blink and you miss them).

Jake (Asa Butterfield), left, develops a bond with Emma (Ella Purnell), who has some unusual gifts, in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."

Ella Purnell is lovely and understated as the obligatory romantic interest. She's buoyant, in more ways than one.

In “Peculiar Children,” be prepared to stretch your definition of heroes to include, say, a cute little girl with razor-sharp teeth on the back of her head.

Didn't we say this movie's about coming to terms with your inner freak?

“Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children”

★ ★ ★

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Eva Green, Ella Purnell, Terence Stamp

Directed by: Tim Burton

Other: A 20th Century Fox release. Rated PG-13 for violence. 127 minutes

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