Courtney McDonald | Writer
March 21, 2018
On the 9th of March, 2018, A Wrinkle in Time hit theaters everywhere. The movie, adapted from Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel, encompasses the life of teenager Meg Murry and her younger brother Charles Wallace as they travel through a ‘wrinkle in time’ to try and find their father, who supposedly traveled to a different planet using his mind. They are joined by Meg’s classmate, Calvin, and guided by three women (Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which) who consider themselves to be ‘part of the universe.’ The cast is quite star-studded, including Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Pine.
Going into this movie, I was only vaguely aware of what the storyline was. I had previously read the novel in fourth grade, and according to my memory, it was an extremely good book. However, I had forgotten practically the entirety of the novel. As a result, the progression of the movie only lead to my extreme confusion. This can be considered a children’s movie, and is most likely the reason for its lack of scientific support. As a sixteen year old, I struggled to let myself enjoy the characters and the special effects due to it’s storyline. I’m sure the adults, because of their more extensive knowledge of the world and how it works (for the most part), had an even harder time processing.
That being said, however, the movie’s special effects were phenomenal. “I have yet to see the movie, but from the trailer I could already tell that it was gonna have crazy special effects,” Eva Gardner, junior, exclaimed. In a scene with Oprah’s character, Mrs. Which, and Charles Wallace, CGI allowed for a Charles Wallace’s hand to realistically brush across the cheek of a giant Mrs. Whatsit. It didn’t look fake at all, which really surprised me. I thought I might be able to see small mistakes, but from what I remember there didn’t seem to be any.
A Wrinkle in Time, however, did not receive particularly good reviews. Critics referred to it as a ‘magical mystery’ without both the magic and the mystery, arguing that it had nothing going for it but the special effects and the actors. Others argued that with the abundance of potential the film had, mainly due to its star-studded cast, it was a true let down. Lexi Kortman, junior, voiced her opinion, recalling that, “It got 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, which was surprising. I expected better for a movie with Oprah in it, if I’m honest.”
In my opinion, A Wrinkle in Time was a decent film, but I wouldn’t be quick to recommend it to someone else or see it again. I would have to agree with the critics: the weird storyline seemed to distract from the rest of the movie. However, it’s message is extremely positive, and would probably serve as good entertainment for children. A Wrinkle in Time is no cinematic masterpiece, but it is still an entertaining movie that you may enjoy.
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