Movie Review: A Wrinkle in Time


The bond between father and daughter can span across time and space. That’s the general premise of A Wrinkle in Time. I have never read the books even though I have been meaning to so i get to see this without the book to screen comparison. For those also unfamiliar a young girl Meg (Storm Reid) is struggling thru life as an outcast after her father (Chris Pine) vanishes several years prior. Along with her adopted brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) she still hopes he will return.

Chris Pine as Mr. Murry in A Wrinkle in Time

Mr. Murry needs help to escape

Meg is the centerpiece of the story is very analytical and smart and not trusting at all. Her brother Charles Wallace is her tiny defender who adores her, is also smart but annoying as hell. He’s that Johnathan Lipnicki level of saccharine. His faith in her guides the undercurrent of A Wrinkle in Time. Regardless Meg and Charles Wallace along with Calvin (Levi Miller) Meg’s love interest if they had aged them up but now he’s a sidekick, attempt to save her father.

Mrs. Which and Meg

Mrs. Which and Meg

The star-studded cast includes Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who, Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatist and Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which, the 3 guides this trio needs to help track down Meg’s dad. There’s also Happy Medium (Zach Galifianakis) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Meg’s mother. That’s a lot of talent for a film with a ton of CGI. A Wrinkle in Time is visually stunning, the use of color and costumes are really great and it’s a beautiful film to look at. Color is absent where it needs to be and strong and fluid where it counts. So much of the visual storytelling works incredibly well. Unfortunately that’s’ also where it stops. A Wrinkle in Time moves fast to push forward what’s a random bland story. Some of the kids are downright unlikeable. The suspenseful parts lack any level of peril, and the peaks never really crest. I wanted to like it and it was okay but it really wasn’t amazing. It was a very middle ground film where its good parts only canceled out it bad. Not knowing the story I don’t know if it had to paint itself into a corner or if this is just how it plays out. A Wrinkle in Time wants to be grand but it settles for passable.

Director: Ava DuVernay
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG
Run Time: 1 hour 49 minutes