Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

In another dark, delirious fairy tale from director Tim Burton, children aren't gifted with special powers, they're cursed with them. As Jake, Asa Butterfield (Hugo) doesn't know what makes him different, and this mystery keeps you watching as much as his journey through a fantastical world conjured by Burton in typically meticulous, gothic style. In Wales, Jake discovers a loop in time created in 1943 and inhabited by Miss Peregrine (Eva Green, fabulous as a kohl-eyed Mary Poppins) who cares for children like Emma (Ella Purnell), who can float on air. There's also a boy with bees in his belly and a girl with an oddly placed mouth, but unlike Marvel mutants, these kids are uncool, making their predicament more acute, especially when a wickedly dead-eyed and deadpan Samuel L Jackson threatens to burst their bubble. The rules of this universe are convoluted, but they bring about memorable moments like a bombing raid and a spectacular underwater sequence evoking Titanic. Burton's brand of impish humour and the in-your-face weirdness means it isn't truly heart-wrenching, but he compensates with otherworldly atmosphere and spine-chilling thrills aplenty. Judi Dench is squandered in a small role and Chris O'Dowd's well-meaning dad is left hanging, but Burton fans will feel utterly spoiled.