Tuesday night, March 13th for anyone who wants specifics, the family and I decided to break our weekly norm and check out the newest film to grace our rural town’s local theater. The choice turned out to be simple as it was between "Black Panther" and "A Wrinkle in Time." It was my step-daughters choice and as neither film had Superman or was a teen-drama interest piece, she gracefully chose "A Wrinkle in Time." (I plan to go see "Black Panther" by myself) Now, before I get any farther, heed my warning that there be spoilers ahead!
"A Wrinkle In Time," as directed by Ava DuVernay, is an adaptation of the author Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved 1962 Newbery Medal-winning fantasy novel. The film follows Meg Murry (Storm Reid) whose life has been seemingly on a downhill spiral of anti-social behavior and poor school performance after her father mysteriously disappears 4 years earlier. Meg’s father Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) is a renowned physicist, who was working on something big. Exploring the possibilities of rapid transit between stars, galaxies, who knows the limitations!
Through a means of a tesseract, a so-called “wrinkle in time” where space itself folds. After Meg causes some trouble by fighting back against the bullying at school, her life begins to change. The sudden, and the much-unexpected arrival of Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) add a new mystery to Meg’s life as they explain they have come to help her find her father. Along with one of Meg’s classmates, Calvin O’Keefe (Levi Miller) and her little brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), they set off with the three Mrs. to follow their father’s galactic breadcrumbs as they trek across the universe.
Mrs. Which reveals to Meg a great evil, and encroaching darkness upon the universe known as The It, and it threatens each step they take and ultimately the entire universe. With the assistance of an oracle type character known as the Happy Medium (Zach Galifianakis) Meg discovers her father is trapped by the It on the world Camazotz. Facing the It won’t be easy for the three young kids while Meg is dealing with issues of identity and self-doubt. It is uncertain if they will be able to save Dr. Murry or even themselves.
The overall storyline was simplistic with its concentration on the conflict of good versus evil/light versus dark. With the main character filled with self-doubt and fear – who is pressed forward by companions and the assistance of a magical being, or three in this case. Set out on a mysterious adventure fraught with danger and life alerting lessons in the pursuit to rescue the damsel in distress, in this case, Dr. Alex Murry, Meg’s father.
While some sequences are aesthetically beautiful and captivating others come across as bland. The overall story blends scientific theories with whimsical, star-studded, cast and interesting settings but doesn’t quite pull it all together in the end. The cast feels underused, and more often than not, just standing there in the foreground as a pretty face. There are often eye-rolling pieces of over-explained scenes and simplistic dialogue. The overall main character is Meg, the star of the film, and for the most part, she is the most developed character arc.
In the end, "A Wrinkle in Time" had the potential to be a compelling, well-rounded, character piece, but fell short. Often the characters take a back seat while the story remains frustratingly simple. The largely stared cast is captivatingly talented, delivering exception dialogue and performances. It is important to note, the film is aimed towards a younger audience.
Overall, the films theme target self-identity, a film of inspiration, inspiring young teens to be true to themselves and love themselves in spite of bullying or what terrible things may happen. Though the film has its eye-rolling clichés, it touches on relevant modern issues affecting our youth. This is a must-see film for families with younger kids, and don’t worry, it will still hold the interest of adults.
Despite a Rotten Tomatoes score of 42%, and a general audiences score of 36%. I would give this film a 3 out of 5 stars – and recommend it as a film for families with younger kids, possibly 13 years old and younger.