A Wrinkle In Time review: Selma director Ava DuVernay brings Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel to the screen in Disney’s first big live-action feature of 2018.
A Wrinkle In Time review by Orestes Adam.
A Wrinkle In Time review
Ava DuVernay’s highly anticipated adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time opens with the Walt Disney logo consumed by warps and glitches, implying that this just might be the film to turn the formulaic genre of the family fantasy on its head. Throughout, these darker implications are constantly teased to the extent that one wishes the creators would abandon these threatening overtones and just stick to the whimsicality its premise offers. While it certainly succeeds as your monthly children’s flick, this semi-hollow spectacle is, unfortunately, more like a new generation’s Sharkboy and Lavagirl than it is its Spirited Away.
A Wrinkle in Time follows 13-year old Meg Murry (Storm Reid) as she struggles to cope with the disappearance of her scientist father Dr Alex Murry (Chris Pine) four years ago. She has few friends, save for her love interest Calvin (Levi Miller) and her prodigal adopted brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe). Amidst her struggle, the trio is visited by celestial beings’ Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and are taken on a galaxy-spanning journey in search of her father, who has stranded himself across the universe in an attempt to unlock its secrets. Overlying this adventure is the cosmic threat of a planetoid shadow called the It, the physical manifestation of all that is negative in the universe, from racism to abusive parents and eating disorders. It is halfway through when this generic threat dominates the narrative that it swiftly crumbles apart. One would expect Ava DuVernay of all directors, whose Selma and 13th did wonders in tapping into the complexities behind such social issues, to refrain from simplifying all that is wrong with the world through yet another otherworldly conceptual ‘darkness,’ as doing so completely robs these issues of their realism and urgency. Though excusable given the film’s target audience, it does not make it compelling and almost serves to shift the blame for these flaws in our society onto interstellar beings instead of our own selves.
A Wrinkle In Time review
Having said that, the film’s first half is positively delightful, filled with uplifting music, adventurous thrills and spectacular visuals. Ava DuVernay makes a point in constructing these planets to make them appear less like a fairytale and more like a cartoon, fully capturing that sense of lighthearted wonder these characters feel upon embarking on this fantastical adventure. Between the gossiping flowers to Mrs Whatsit’s transformation into a beautiful flying leaf, it makes for a remarkable introduction into this universe where anything can happen, even if so little actually does. Even the early scenes in which Meg and her father work together in his lab are shot with a sleek combination of handheld camerawork and grounded colour that subtly bursts into images that are often just as arresting as the exoticism of the planets they later visit. With such a promising start one would expect that DuVernay has merely scratched the surface of what she is about to present to us, but the film then concerns itself almost entirely with its metaphysical theme of self-love and appreciation. Just as Meg struggle to balance herself (both physically and emotionally) in the Happy Medium’s (Zach Galifianakis) cave, DuVerney struggles to balance the story’s visual thrills with its tried and tested core message.
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The performances themselves prove either competent, underwhelming or cringe-inducing. Oprah Winfrey, for all the presence she commands, is never given enough time to stun her audience. As for the children, who show a curiously little amount of surprise at the sight of some of these oddities, one cannot help but feel that an attempt has been made to drastically age them. This is most applicable to Miller, who is bathed in enough hair product to make Harry Styles jealous and strung with dialogue worthy of the most basic of soap operas. Chris Pine, however, is an absolute scene-stealer, offering his most emotional and endearing performance in years. If only his character was not stranded for the majority of the film, as within him it appears that DuVernay has found an actor whose passion transcends the faults of such a meandering narrative.
A Wrinkle In Time review
A Wrinkle in Time is yet another attempted crowd-pleaser that struggles to transcend the limitations its genre imposes upon it. One has to respect DuVernay for her ambitious attempts to enforce her branded message of social justice through the quirkiness of Madeleine L’Engle’s novel, but she simply does not succeed in effectively balancing these elements to a compelling extent. For all its spark, wonder, innovation and intrigue, A Wrinkle in Time culminates in little more than a metaphysical yawn.
A Wrinkle In Time review by Orestes Adam, March 2018.
A Wrinkle In Time is released on Friday 23rd March 2018.
