Movie Review: A Wrinkle in Time

  Hello all, and welcome to my review of A Wrinkle in Time! 😀

  Starring: Storm Reid (Meg), Deric McCabe (Charles Wallace), Levi Miller (Calvin), Reese Witherspoon (Mrs. Whatsit), Mindy Kaling (Mrs. Who), Oprah Winfrey (Mrs. Which), Chris Pine (Mr. Murry), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Mrs. Murry)

Plot (taken from IMDb):

“After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.”

Trailer:

Characters:

Storm Reid (Meg) – I love this character. She’s complicated, but her love for her family always shines through. Although they don’t show many details, it’s clear she’s been having a rough time since her dad disappeared. She’s not very trusting, and seems to keep others at a safe distance, but when push comes to shove, she’s strong and follows her heart.

Deric McCabe (Charles Wallace) – Meg’s younger brother. This character is adorable! He really goes out of his way to try and cheer Meg up. The three magical ladies seem to have the highest hopes for him, as far as fighting the darkness.

Levi Miller (Calvin) – One of Meg’s classmates, who has a major crush on her. I love that this character sticks by Meg’s side through everything. He’s supportive, and never seems to judge or be put off when Meg tries to keep distance between them.

Reese Witherspoon (Mrs. Whatsit) – The first of three magical/celestial type beings that helps Meg on her journey. She’s pretty critical of Meg, especially in the beginning. But I guess it’s kind of a tough love thing?

Mindy Kaling (Mrs. Who) – The second magical/celestial type being. She seems more accepting of Meg’s faults, but only really speaks in quotes from other people, like Shakespeare or Gandhi.

Oprah Winfrey (Mrs. Which) – The last magical/celestial type being. The other two magical ladies seem to defer to her, so she may be the leader of the three. I feel like she doesn’t get as much screen time as the other two, but she seems to believe in Meg the most out of the three.

Chris Pine (Mr. Murry) – Meg and Charles Wallace’s dad. He’s a scientist who wants to bend space and time and see what’s out there in the universe. He’s ambitious, and it accidentally gets him into trouble.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Mrs. Murry) – Meg and Charles Wallace’s mom. Like her husband, she’s also a scientist who wants to explore the universe, but she’s content to take it slower. After her husband disappears, she stays strong and tries to keep it together for her family.

Review:

Lol, you can probably guess I was really looking forward to this movie. Almost any time you throw magic at me and shiny alien landscapes, I’m happy.

More often than not, I feel like I have an advantage when I wait to read the book a movie was based on. I feel like it leaves me free to just sit back and enjoy the movie as its own separate experience.

This time, however, even though I did love this movie, there were times where it felt like I missed out by not reading the book first.

The pace seemed a little fast to me. I know that tends to happen in book to movie adaptations, but it was pretty noticeable in this one. Certain things felt too easy – like Meg and Calvin accepted the magical things going on too easily, or how and when did Charles Wallace even meet the magical ladies to begin with, and what motivates them to help random strangers with potential to fight the darkness?

Even though a lot is left to your imagination, it doesn’t detract much from the over all enjoyment of the movie. It was kind of abstract in parts, but I had a lot of fun with this one. It kind of reminded me a little of some of my favorite Jim Henson and Studio Ghibli movies.

I really loved the visuals in the movie too. The clothes the magical ladies wore were fun, and the different settings the movie takes you to are gorgeous!

I know they had to move things along, but I kind of wish there could have been more time spent exploring some of these worlds.

Another thing I really liked was Meg’s connection to her family. Her scenes with her parents and brother are the most touching in the movie. She may struggle with believing in herself, but she’s at her strongest when she’s fighting for them.

As much as she loved her family, and would do anything for them, she really didn’t love herself much though. I wish they had gotten more into that – it was one of those things that I feel like got glossed over in the faster pacing of the movie.

It was wonderful how she gained more confidence towards the end, started to love herself more, and also learned to accept that she was worthy of love from others.

My rating for A Wrinkle in Time: Cash-Worthy – This movie was awesome! Aimed more at kids, but I think adults can have fun with it too. Definitely check this one out if you like movies like Mirrormask, Alice, or Howl’s Moving Castle, or pretty, sometimes a little abstract, family-friendly type movies in general. 😀

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My Rating System:

Epic: This movie is so mind-bogglingly awesome that I may go see it twice. This one will have a place of honor on my shelf.

Cash-Worthy: Good stuff. This will most likely find a place on my shelf.

Not Bad: I liked it. I’m glad I saw it, and it may or may not end up on my shelf at some point. I would say rent it first to be safe.

Meh: Rent it first. You may love it or hate it, but I’m indifferent probably because it’s not my type of movie. I’m glad I saw it, but it won’t end up on my shelf.

Emergency Cake: I have an emotional reaction to movies sometimes, especially to tragedies. If a movie makes me sad or angry, sometimes it will stick with me for a while. At these times, only chocolate cake can save me. Chocolate cake makes everything better. No shelf for you. Ever.

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