A Wrinkle in Time

Leading up to A Wrinkle in Time was an odd sensation for me. 

I remember, somewhere in the barely-there memories of my mind, reading the book in school at a young age and loving it. This sentiment seems to be one that a lot of people share being one of those few book assignments in school that "I actually enjoyed". 

On some level then, I was excited for this film. I trusted myself as a younger critic and the near-universal "I remember" praise for the book counts for something too. 

But the trailers, other than being edited to an awesome cut of the song "Sweet Dreams" were leaving me a bit worried. Parts of them seemed silly, fake-looking, and painfully generic where other elements seemed stunning. Having Selma's Ava DuVernay at the helm gave me confidence, but she's also not a proven director of blockbusters. 

Without belaboring the point further, A Wrinkle in Time is mostly an enjoyment but one that seems, at least in this day an age, a bit behind the times. Certain elements work great, some not so much but probably one of its biggest strengths is that it drives home its message (it is a kids movie after all) will a lot of emotion that will likely impact kids positively. 

For those that don't remember and have avoided the trailers, A Wrinkle in Time is a classic good vs. evil tale about a girl trying to save her father, who has somehow disappeared across space and time. With the help of some mysterious "Mrs."s, her, her new friend Calvin, and her brother go on an adventure. The most immediate thing I think is praise-worthy about A Wrinkle in Time is its cast. For starters, Storm Reid leads the film and as a child actor she's insanely talented and a strong casting choice. She plays the "outsider" well as a lonely teen who is clearly missing her father and trying to learn something about herself too. Outside of the film I think she's also a wonderful inspiration for not just young girls who want to focus on STEM, but further, young girls from minorities that want to focus on STEM. The other two children actors are only slightly less impressive because one's (I'm guessing) real-life British accent keeps dropping in and out (or at least it seemed that way) and the youngest who plays Charles Wallace is given entirely too much to say and do near the end of the film that he starts to be annoying. Elaborating would go into spoiler territory, but it is one of those elements that should have been changed from the book because when it translates to the film it's very dumb. 

They get to land on much better planets than the Interstellar crew

"A lot's happened since Big Little Lies S01!"

Our adult characters are consistently talented, though it's interesting that my least favorite parts of the film often include them. Oprah, Mindy Kaling (who seems miscast here), and Reese Witherspoon all do fine in their roles and I came away thinking that Oprah is a better actress than I had presumed since I haven't seen much of her work. Seeing a gigantic CGI Oprah is almost a laugh-out-loud moment every time it happens (because maybe subconsciously that's how we all view her?!?) but she was a wise choice given the role she plays in inspiring Meg, our main character. Zach Galifianakis makes an appearance too, with a surprising amount of emotion, in one of the film's better scenes and it was a pleasure to see him incorporate well as a comedic and serious element. Truth be told though, the scenes with all the Mrs. characters are some of my least favorite and the film's most forgettable. They are, all things considered, a very generic element of a somewhat generic tale. They're the "wise magi" that guide our heroes until they're no longer needed and while their scenes are often off-planet and feature a lot of imagination, they seem stuck in some sort of "kiddie" mode that isn't upheld for the rest of the film. The scenes aren't outright bad by any means, they are pretty entertaining, but when I think of the film as a whole it stands out from the crowd during its later elements that focus on manipulating the kids and battling the evil (outside of the generic final "fight"). It's here the film houses a distinct sci-fi film which I recognize is right up my alley, but it does it in a way that makes it feel different from the film we started with. A Wrinkle in Time is dealing partially with a very real science and I found it to be at its best when it focuses on it's "time" elements be they somewhat realistic or outlandish. 

For all the film's generic faults, it is a really good example of what Ava DuVernay can do with a budget. There's an added attention to detail here not present in many other children's films of this scope and it's also apparent she coaches her actors and actresses to elicit some strong emotions. I haven't seen enough films from her to say if something is her "style" or not, but there are a handful of scenes that are wondrously realized or captured, many of them being near the end. Scattered throughout there are some unique camera angles that make me want to see more of what DuVernay can do. This film also has some good/great music to go along with it and it pairs a lot of its soundtrack with scenes throughout the film for added effect. Something I really wish a recent blockbuster had done more of. The original music is interestingly enough a lot like the film; generic in spots, but inspiring and memorable in others (often near the end too). 

In preparation for her 2020 Presidential Run, Oprah has been bulking up

I don't know for sure if I ever had confidence that A Wrinkle in Time was ever going to set the world on fire the way some, partially myself, had anticipated. At the end of the day it is still a children's tale and often times I think those struggle to translate in meaningful ways to the screen. Time shares that woe as most of its "silly" or more cartoony elements struggle to keep an audience member like me hyper-engaged. I, of course, was more interested in its science elements near the end and removing my own bias I do believe that's where the best bits of the film lie for the most part. What DuVernay and Co. should be proud of though is that their emotional message hits the right spot and I think this film will speak to a lot of teenage/pre-teen girls in a lot of ways. The overall package may have its issues but the message does not. 

CONS

• Doesn't quite come together in a way that makes it feel non-generic
• The Mrs. characters, while entertaining, feel like one of the most generic parts of our tale. It's these scenes that also feel decidedly child-like compared to later ones
• Charles Wallace is given far too much to say/do in the final showdown and it hurts that part of the film significantly. The child actor who plays him is talented and cute, but the cracks start to show when he's given a bunch of lines
• Some shoddy CGI work

PROS

• Features a great cast and an impressive lead turn by the very talented Storm Reid
• The message(s) it wants to convey all land and are driven home with some emotional delivery
• DuVernay was given quite the task here and there are still elements she can/should be proud of. It's clear she coached her cast when necessary and got more emotion than you'd expect from them in some scenes
• Time travel and science elements are the film's strengths
• A handful of scenes that either through sets or camera angles or both are highly unique and enticing to look at
• Good use of soundtrack and original music throughout

Rath's Review Score | 7/10

 

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