Rights holder / Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time) is a 2018 American science fiction fantasy adventure film directed by Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Jennifer Leigh and Jeff Stockwell. It was released in the United States on March 9, 2018.
Meg Murray is a talented but insecure girl who still can't come to terms with the disappearance of her father, Alexander, a scientist who researched the possibilities of time and space travel. Five years after his disappearance, three mysterious beings appear in Meg's life - Mrs. Who, Mrs. What and Mrs. Which. Together with her younger brother Charles Wallace and her classmate Calvin, she embarks on an unusual journey through different worlds to find her father. The journey takes them to a planet where good and evil are at war, and Meg must face not only an external threat, but also her own fears.
Ava DuVernay brings Madeleine Langle's 1962 novel to the big screen with an ambition that is evident in every frame. The worlds the characters traverse are saturated with color, unusual landscapes, and large-scale visual effects. The idea of "folding" space allows the film to jump between completely different places and atmospheres, and the production is clearly conceived as a great family adventure. The problem is that the visual scope is not always supported by an equally compelling narrative. Some critics appreciate its warmth and messages, but are more reserved about the way the story collects its many ideas.
Storm Reed does a good job of playing the central role of Meg and manages to retain the human side of the heroine amidst all the fiction surrounding her. Derrick McCabe gives Charles Wallace the unusual combination of childlike immediacy and mystery, and Levi Miller is as cute as Calvin. Among the more famous names Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling are given roles that are both fantastic guides and kind of carriers of the main ideas of the story. Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Chris Pine bring more emotional weight to the family line, and Michael Peña and Zach Galifianakis complement the colorful composition.
The power of A Wrinkle in Time is eager to tell a grand tale of love, family, and acceptance of one's own shortcomings. The film doesn't hide its messages, and at times it speaks them too directly, but they remain relevant to the younger audience for which the production is clearly aimed. The visuals also have something to offer, although some of the digitally created worlds look more spectacular than convincing. This is an adventure that will probably appeal more to children and viewers looking for a fairy-tale atmosphere than to those expecting complex science fiction. Among films with a similar family focus A Wrinkle in Time It remains a curious attempt to turn a beloved literary novel into a large-scale contemporary spectacle.
