A Wrinkle in Time

If I hear the name Charles Wallace one more time I think I’m gonna flip.

Based on the 1962 novel of the same name, A Wrinkle in Time follows Meg Murray (Storm Reid), and her younger brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), as they set off across time and space to find their missing father, astrophysicist Alex Murray (Chris Pine), four years after he disappears without a trace while conducting research into the unknowns of the cosmos. Accompanying them on their journey is classmate Calvin O’Keefe (Levi Miller), and three astral beings dubbed Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), all of whom are ready to travel to the ends of the Earth (and other planets) and back to find Dr. Murray. But with an all powerful evil entity known as The It consuming the universe one bit at a time, will the search for Meg and Charles Wallace’s father be enough to help stop the oncoming darkness, or will finding him do nothing against the tides of the ultimate evil?

I have to say, I was actually pretty excited for this one, and even though I may have never read the original book that this film is based on, I always knew that it was regarded as being one of the better books out there for kids to read back in the day, so at its worst, this adaptation should have been an entertaining romp through the weird and cosmic, and if not, it should have at least been a serviceable adaptation for fans of the series. With Ava DuVernay attached to direct and Disney behind the helm to shape it into fruition, this film seemed to have enough going for it to get it on the right side of the critical divide, but alas, it was not meant to be. Instead of a fun adventure flick mixed with some wholesome Disney goodness, A Wrinkle in Time struggles in almost every aspect save for the visuals and general aesthetic of the film, with the overall character work, story, script and some of the acting falling short.

DuVernay, being the first woman of color to helm a big budget film like this, seems to know exactly what she wants, but not necessarily how to get it. The acting, specifically in regards to the “Mrs.” characters as well as our main protagonist, Meg, is serviceable, but never hits the highs that I assume DuVernay was hoping for. Other than being a huge sore thumb in a movie that didn’t really need them, Witherspoon, Kaling and Winfrey seem miscast, the obvious reasons for why they were put into the film in the first place was – in my mind – to try and get more people in the theater, but in the grand scheme of things they don’t add much to the film as a whole. And while I don’t think that Storm Reid was miscast in Meg’s role – far from it – I think the script really let her down with some terrible dialogue and constant, annoying hang-ups that stifles the film’s story progression and the events that take place throughout. I get that she misses her father and she’s withdrawn into herself to a point that’s past saving (or so she thinks), but her attitude towards everything is simply grating and doesn’t let up until well into the back half of the film. Chris Pine, as always, shines as Dr. Murray, and the scenes he and Reid share together are so genuine and heartfelt that it’s a shame that they weren’t allowed any more. A solid performance by the young Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace (that damn name again!) is welcome, but again is let down by the script and a shitty third act where a big plot point turns him into something almost unbearable. Again, I refuse to believe that this is strictly DuVernay’s fault considering everything surrounding these issues is quite good, but either the bad script or the source material itself seems at odds with what this film could have been, and that’s a shame.

Luckily, with all those problems, DuVernay does a splendid job with handling the look and feel of the film, her visuals and shot composition showing that she can handle a film like this at its most technical of levels even when the story and script let her down constantly. The special effects, when present, are fun and entertaining and will no doubt wow younger audiences, but when it comes to having a film of substance and a piece of work that can be enjoyed by all, I think this one falls a bit short. I don’t know if this will ever get a sequel, but as it stands, this should be one and done.

A disappointing film when you consider what this adaptation could have been, A Wrinkle in Time’s beautiful visuals and solid direction can’t save a cliché and sloppy script as well as a whole lot of forced character work from ruining something that seemed to have so much potential. DuVernay shows off competence in the technical aspect of the film and sure knows how to make things look pretty and engaging, but when all of what makes this film worth watching is relegated to the middle section of the film, it’s hard to care about much else. Save your money on this one unless you have some kids running around that need to be entertained for a couple hours.