Title: A Wrinkle in Time
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Ava DuVarney
Starring: Oprah, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

What It Is: After the disappearance of a scientist (Pine), three brave kids (Reid, McCabe, Miller) are called upon by three magical beings (Witherspoon, Kaling, Winfrey) to travel to a mythical realm to save the scientist and uncover the mystery of The It. Based on the extremely popular best-seller.

What I Think: This film has a lot of promise from the get-go, introducing us to relatable characters that we can empathize with and fall in love with. Charles Wallace (McCabe) steals the entire movie with his charisma and wit. It’s very rare to find these characteristics in such a young actor. Meg Murray (Reid) does a good job portraying a girl struggling to find herself. Unfortunately, in spite of great performances, this film is very heavy-handed with its message. It feels like the filmmakers are talking down to the audience, assuming that they can’t decipher the subtext in the dialogue. The three magical beings serve no purpose to progress the story other than to give unnecessary comic relief. A Wrinkle in Time sets up many promising ideas but after leaving the theater you are left unsatisfied and empty.

Our Grade: C-, A Wrinkle in Time, unfortunately, falls in the same lane as “Tomorrowland” with its unfulfilling outcome. It’s confused about what it’s trying to accomplish despite showcasing what most would agree to be a great concept. This film is visually entertaining but with very little substance. This is a misstep for Disney. Coming from a very well received and very deep book series, this film falls short. A director like Ava deserves a better movie than what was produced. Not every director strikes gold and unfortunately, this will be the blemish on Duvernay’s filmography.