A Wrinkle in Time (C or 2/4 stars)
It's March, so that means it's time for the next Disney phenomenon to grace the big screens of America ... or does it? 'A Wrinkle in Time' (director Ava DuVernay's adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's beloved 1962 children's fantasy book) tells the story of 13 yr. old Meg (bright newcomer Storm Reid), a middle schooler who's become sullen & drawn; struggling with self-confidence ever since the disappearance of her renowned physicist father, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine), 4 long yrs. ago -- Alex had discovered 'tessering', a phenomenon he believed made intergalactic travel possible.
After a public confrontation with a bully, Meg finds solace in new friend, Calvin (Levi Miller). And Meg's super-genius little brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), introduces Meg & Calvin to 3 flamboyant supernatural beings named Mrs. Whatsit (bubbly Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), & Mrs. Which (regal Oprah Winfrey), astral guides from the universe who reveal that Meg & Charles Wallace's father ... isn't dead after all. To find him, however, Meg & Charles Wallace must leave their mom (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) behind and, with Calvin in tow, must travel across time & space to rescue him from an invading darkness called 'The It' (voiced by David Oyelowo). Across different planets, the kids head-out on an epic journey; facing their fears, insecurities and creating their own 'wrinkle in time' to search for Dr. Murry, but that darkness threatens every step they take, putting their lives in danger & their ability to return to Earth at risk.
So, this movie is a mixed bag, for me. Clearly, it is a labor of love for director Ava Duvernay. And there are various components I enjoyed, here; namely, Storm Reid's breakout performance as Meg; what a find! This saccharine, simplistic adaptation of the children's classic just doesn't transfix as well as it should have. It's not deep. There's little in the way of genuine 'awe'. Sure, I dug Paco Delgado's wonderfully bizarre costumes. Some of the production design/visual effects are inspired. It's pretty cool seeing the 'talking flowers' sequence on that planet that kinda looks like New Zealand. When Mrs. Whatsit transforms into an enormous flying leaf & transports our 3 protagonists across the land & above the clouds ... pretty neat.
But the story contains so much celestial mumbo jumbo that it is instantly distancing & you're forced to just accept the craziness or get left in the dust. There are also dead spots. i.e., an odd, boring visit with a seer played by Zach Galifianiakis; and a bizarre interlude in which a creepy character named Red (Michael Pena) gains control over Charlie Wallace for 'The It'. He might have been creepy, but the sequence wasn't scary ... only off-putting. This film is mostly a schlocky CGI-fest that offered nothing new to the kid fantasy film genre. Clearly a children's film {most adult eyes will likely glaze over while watching it}, I was reminded of superior classics such as Neverending Story, The Goonies, The Witches or even Dark Crystal. Having said all of that, it's hard to completely bash a film that offers a few touching/moving performances, inclusive themes & inspiring messages.
As mentioned earlier, Storm Reid is a major asset to this film. I bought her as that misfit biracial student who struggles with insecurities & longs for her dad. In this larger-than-life type of film, Reid's performance is full of nuance, raw emotion & vulnerability. I kinda sorta got a kick out of the 3 actresses playing the astral agents with their wackadoo costumes/make-up & imaginative personas. Oprah got me the most; delivering her inspirational one-liners with aplomb. Mindy Kaling was fine; though I found her characters' propensity to only speak in famous quotes to be ... irritating. And Reese Witherspoon brings some levity to the mix. As for little Deric McCabe, unfortunately, I found him annoying. And there's a scene including his character & 2 teachers near the start of the film that is so POORLY acted that it made me wonder how it ever could have been the chosen shot in the editing room.
You know, it's been said that the book from which this film is based on is one of 'those' that's supposed to be supremely difficult to adapt from page to the screen ... and now I see why. Too keep the running time to a shorter length for the little kiddies {the only demographic that might love this}, certain character relationships & subplots are rushed or glossed over; and you don't even have to have read the books to realize it. Also, if the book is a WILDLY imaginative read, it's simply impossible for the film medium to be able to capture that same sense of imagination that a reader gets on a personal level. Tethering the reader's imagination to CGI images on the big screen does not automatically make for an immersive experience.
Ava DuVernay's strength with the interpersonal relationships in the film is evident. The strongest scenes are the intimate ones; including a moment btwn. Storm Reid & Chris Pine that brought tears to my eyes. You know, missteps aside, what this movie has going for it is that Meg's 'coming-of-age/discover the power to do the extraordinary' story is universal enough for all kids to appreciate. I just found 'A Wrinkle in Time' to be a tad oddly-paced, too uneven, and it doesn't stick the landing; no matter how many visually ambitious or effective heart-tugging moments there are.
After a public confrontation with a bully, Meg finds solace in new friend, Calvin (Levi Miller). And Meg's super-genius little brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), introduces Meg & Calvin to 3 flamboyant supernatural beings named Mrs. Whatsit (bubbly Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), & Mrs. Which (regal Oprah Winfrey), astral guides from the universe who reveal that Meg & Charles Wallace's father ... isn't dead after all. To find him, however, Meg & Charles Wallace must leave their mom (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) behind and, with Calvin in tow, must travel across time & space to rescue him from an invading darkness called 'The It' (voiced by David Oyelowo). Across different planets, the kids head-out on an epic journey; facing their fears, insecurities and creating their own 'wrinkle in time' to search for Dr. Murry, but that darkness threatens every step they take, putting their lives in danger & their ability to return to Earth at risk.
So, this movie is a mixed bag, for me. Clearly, it is a labor of love for director Ava Duvernay. And there are various components I enjoyed, here; namely, Storm Reid's breakout performance as Meg; what a find! This saccharine, simplistic adaptation of the children's classic just doesn't transfix as well as it should have. It's not deep. There's little in the way of genuine 'awe'. Sure, I dug Paco Delgado's wonderfully bizarre costumes. Some of the production design/visual effects are inspired. It's pretty cool seeing the 'talking flowers' sequence on that planet that kinda looks like New Zealand. When Mrs. Whatsit transforms into an enormous flying leaf & transports our 3 protagonists across the land & above the clouds ... pretty neat.
But the story contains so much celestial mumbo jumbo that it is instantly distancing & you're forced to just accept the craziness or get left in the dust. There are also dead spots. i.e., an odd, boring visit with a seer played by Zach Galifianiakis; and a bizarre interlude in which a creepy character named Red (Michael Pena) gains control over Charlie Wallace for 'The It'. He might have been creepy, but the sequence wasn't scary ... only off-putting. This film is mostly a schlocky CGI-fest that offered nothing new to the kid fantasy film genre. Clearly a children's film {most adult eyes will likely glaze over while watching it}, I was reminded of superior classics such as Neverending Story, The Goonies, The Witches or even Dark Crystal. Having said all of that, it's hard to completely bash a film that offers a few touching/moving performances, inclusive themes & inspiring messages.
As mentioned earlier, Storm Reid is a major asset to this film. I bought her as that misfit biracial student who struggles with insecurities & longs for her dad. In this larger-than-life type of film, Reid's performance is full of nuance, raw emotion & vulnerability. I kinda sorta got a kick out of the 3 actresses playing the astral agents with their wackadoo costumes/make-up & imaginative personas. Oprah got me the most; delivering her inspirational one-liners with aplomb. Mindy Kaling was fine; though I found her characters' propensity to only speak in famous quotes to be ... irritating. And Reese Witherspoon brings some levity to the mix. As for little Deric McCabe, unfortunately, I found him annoying. And there's a scene including his character & 2 teachers near the start of the film that is so POORLY acted that it made me wonder how it ever could have been the chosen shot in the editing room.
You know, it's been said that the book from which this film is based on is one of 'those' that's supposed to be supremely difficult to adapt from page to the screen ... and now I see why. Too keep the running time to a shorter length for the little kiddies {the only demographic that might love this}, certain character relationships & subplots are rushed or glossed over; and you don't even have to have read the books to realize it. Also, if the book is a WILDLY imaginative read, it's simply impossible for the film medium to be able to capture that same sense of imagination that a reader gets on a personal level. Tethering the reader's imagination to CGI images on the big screen does not automatically make for an immersive experience.
Ava DuVernay's strength with the interpersonal relationships in the film is evident. The strongest scenes are the intimate ones; including a moment btwn. Storm Reid & Chris Pine that brought tears to my eyes. You know, missteps aside, what this movie has going for it is that Meg's 'coming-of-age/discover the power to do the extraordinary' story is universal enough for all kids to appreciate. I just found 'A Wrinkle in Time' to be a tad oddly-paced, too uneven, and it doesn't stick the landing; no matter how many visually ambitious or effective heart-tugging moments there are.