REVIEW: A Wrinkle in Time Lacks the Warrior It Needs

Madeleine L’Engle’s, A Wrinkle in Time, is a much beloved novel for coming of age youths since its publication in 1962. The story follows Meg Murry, a young girl grappling with the disappearance of her father mixed with the growing pains middle school and feeling like she’ll never fit in with her classmates. Her father has been gone for four years after unexpectedly vanishing while researching his theory on the tesseract. She and her younger brother, Charles Wallace, embark on a journey with three witches and a classmate of Meg’s to rescue their father once they learn he is trapped on a dangerous and dark planet. The novel explores places beyond our own Universe and aims to bring out the inner child in all of us.

Walt Disney’s latest adaptation does not achieve the wonder of the novel. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the movie adds a modern twist, but leaves out too many plot points from the original story. The movie opens with the feeling the audience has missed the first half of the tale. Explanations of characters and background information are few and far between. Meg’s father’s scientific concept is barely explained, her younger brother’s apparent genius is brushed over, and Meg herself is never fully fleshed out.

The A-list cast of Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling as the witches, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who, respectively, will draw people in but they are thoroughly underused. Their characters are featured more as devices to propel the story rather than add to it. The focus instead is on Meg, played by Storm Reid, her brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and Meg’s classmate, Calvin (Levi Miller); however, the film is disjointed in that it never decides who it should focus on. Meg is the obvious choice but right when it feels as if it’s time to settle in to her story the focus juts to someone else. The three younger actors are fine in their roles but nothing spectacular stands out. Hopefully, with a few more roles under their belts, they will evolve into stronger actors.

The dialogue at times is distracting, notably in the way Mrs. Who only speaks in famous quotes. The characters themselves are also not given much to work with. Nevertheless, the most distracting part of the entire film is how certain scenes were shot. Most often the camera angles were too close and, if not too close, too jerky. Rather than add to the story, the camera angles will have some looking away from the screen. This is a warning to those who easily get motion sickness, be prepared if you want to see this film.

The lone positives are the color in the visuals and the witches’ ensembles. The scenes are vibrant and beautiful, even in the dark planet of Camazotz, where Meg’s father is trapped. The makeup and costumes on the witches are eye-catching and enchanting. There is a lovely moment when the witches change outfits and as each new one is revealed it feels as if magic is unfolding on screen.

For those planning to see the movie this weekend, wait until it comes out on DVD or On Demand. It is not worth seeing in theaters. If you still want to see it, do not see it in IMAX. The big screen and the camera angles do not mix well together.

Grade: C