A Wrinkle In Time Shows a Few Wrinkles #movie_review

Stunning visually, A Wrinkle in Time leaves the viewer with a feel good message of love overcoming dark.
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When father and scientist Dr. Murray (Chris Pine) goes missing, it’s up to his awkward and angry daughter, Meg (Storm Reid) and her brilliant brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) to find him. Along the way, they enlist the help of one of Meg’s classmates (Levi Miller) and three magical women- Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey).

​This classic piece of literature by Madeline L’Engle has often been a favorite of children throughout the world. Turning it into a movie was a large undertaking by Disney. How do you compete with love and memories? Much like 1980’s Dune, fans will either love A Wrinkle in Time or hate it.

​With beautiful cinematography and sweeping landscapes, A Wrinkle in Time feels majestic. The colors are bright and even the flowers talk in color. The star power rocks a new level with Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling to name a few. It also feels like a Benetton advertisement. Meg is mixed race. Her brother is adopted. He’s brilliant and says what comes into his mind, no filter. She’s angry and keeps people at a distance. The neighbor girl is a bully who is secretly hiding her own problem with bulimia. It represents everyone. 

​All the viewers should be able to see themselves in one of the characters, making this a powerful movie for younger audiences. But it’s the message which will resonate with viewers after they leave. The negative loop in our heads we hear over and over is the evil IT who is trying to take over the world, one person at a time and by only accepting our faults and embracing our whole heart can we overcome the evil. 

​While the message is important, it comes off as trite and heavy-handed. Most of us know how goodness and love spreads and changes the world. We don’t need to be reminded many times during the two and a half hour movie. So see the movie on the big screen for the majesty of the film but don’t spend big bucks unless you are taking your children. At the very least, it’s a good movie to lead the discussion about how everyone has their own inner dialogue and problems… so throw kindness as confetti.