A Wrinkle In Time (2018)
Disney Pictures
Directed by: Ava DuVernay
Written by: Jennifer Lee, Jeff Stockwell
Starring: Storm Reid, Opray Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Chris Pine, Zach Galifianakis, Gugu, Mbatha-Raw, Michael Pena
Disney’s newest film ‘A Wrinkle In Time‘ will hit theaters this weekend. The spectacular cast includes Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Storm Reid, Deric McCabe, Levi Miller, Zach Galifianakis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Michael Pena. This film is based on the novel by Madeleine L’Engle which was also adapted into a TV movie back in 2003 with a completely different cast. It follows a young girl named Meg Murray (Reid) & her younger adopted brother Charles Wallace Murray (McCabe) who, with the help of their friend Calvin (Miller) and three mysterious beings (Winfrey, Witherspoon & Kaling), seek to find their scientist father (Pine) who disappeared 4 years ago while searching for a way to traverse the galaxy using only the power of the human mind. The visuals are beautiful and quite stunning! The acting by the entire cast is absolutely fantastic! Sadly, these elements only barely manage to lift the film beyond the status of the TV movie that preceded it.
As I was watching it, the acting drew me in and allowed me to overlook the rather simplistic and trite script which is a huge credit to the actors in the film. Great actors are able to do great things with even very mediocre writing and that was certainly the case here. I also found the movie to be very predictable and the plot to be very generic. Obviously, the effects and the visuals employed were gorgeous and, again, that helped keep an otherwise dull movie afloat longer than it would have without them. However, I left the film feeling as though I had just watched a “Made-For-TV movie” that had been somehow forced into existence by someone with a nearly unlimited budget. I was excited by the idea of the movie and the previews certainly make you think you’re getting ready to see an epic film, but this is definitely a picture where it’s reach far exceeds it’s grasp. If you’re a fan of the players in this piece and are looking for a diversion on a rainy Saturday afternoon this month, then, by all means, you should see this movie. Otherwise, I’d say that some movies currently playing in theaters are a better bet and you can save this one for viewing from the comfort of your home. On your TV… like it was originally intended to be seen.
