REVIEW: A Wrinkle in TimeBy Bri ManzanoMarch 11, 2018There’s only so much time in the day; thus, there is a limited amount of time that I get to explore this stunning world in which we live or pursue my most treasured life goals. By writing reviews for this podcast team, I am, in fact, allowed to pursue those dreams. But sometimes it makes me reconsider my dreams when my dreams involve spending my very valuable time watching movies like A Wrinkle in Time.

Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel even today cherishes a status as one of the most beloved books of all time. Meg Murray’s wildly colorful tale has been adapted into several media - including a 2003 TV-movie - but voracious readers and adventure-seekers alike continue to seek out the novel when their hearts are are set on the real story.

Unfortunately, that’s not what you get with Disney’s latest fare. I am the first one to jump to Disney’s defense (sometimes even against my better judgement), but this is defenseless.

A Wrinkle in Time’s most glaring fault is its script. If you didn’t read the book, good luck following anything - although I’ve heard it diverts from the book a good deal. Things just seem to happen; the plot is a series of non sequiturs that the film tumbles through with no relevant explanation. Thematically, the script covers a myriad of emotionally heavy topics but spreads itself too thin to say anything potent about any of them. The dialogue is corny. Calvin (Levi Miller) contributes absolutely nothing to the ultimate conclusion. This was a disaster on all fronts.

The performances do little to bolster the script. Storm Reid excels in her more vulnerable scenes, but flounders when little is on the line. Deric McCabe downright cringe-inducing (though child actors often leave a lot to be desired). Levi Miller isn’t given the chance to do anything impressive. The three misses do well enough, although Reese Witherspoon is her all-too-often brand of obnoxiously flaky. There is glaringly too little of Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Chris Pine.

Most marketing for A Wrinkle in Time now contains glib quotes that undoubtedly describe the visuals. The costuming, of course, is beautiful, but what good does it do to gild a paperweight? The film may look pretty, but ultimately it keeps anyone from connecting from the book.

What a waste.

Rating: 2.5/10
Favorite scene: Chris Pine.
Least favorite scene: Deric McCabe.

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