Review of A Wrinkle in Time (2003) by Melissa R — 13 Jul 2011

What a way to ruin a perfectly good book. If you've never read the books, you might come out liking this movie, but if you have, prepare to be wildly disappointed.

Meg and her brother Charles Wallace are the odd children of the Murry family. They're just a little too different and after the disappearance of their father, Meg becomes more than a little angry. But things change when an odd woman shows up at their door and tells them both that they're needed. Along with Calvin O'Keefe, a new friend, they are swept away to a different planet where they learn an evil being is keeping their father captive. They have to try to save them without being taken under control by the Evil IT who is there.

Characters:

Katie Stuart: Meg Murry.

Gregory Smith: Calvin O'Keefe.

David Dorfman: Charles Wallace Murry.

Chris Potter: Dr. Jack Murry.

Kyle Secor: Man with Red Eyes.

Sean Cullen: Happy Medium.

Sarah Jane Redmond: Dana Murry.

Kate Nelligan: Mrs. Which.

Alison Elliott: Mrs. Who.

Alfre Woodard: Mrs. Whatsit.

Munro and Thomas Chambers: The Twins.

I'm sure the actors tried their best but the vast majority were downright awful. I don't know if it was the way they played the characters or just the way the script was written, but they greatly deviated from the characters in the book. Mrs. Which especially wasn't very good and didn't seem the wise all-knowing being that she is in the book. Mrs. Who too had some trouble in that regard as well. In fact, of the three Mrs. W's, only Mrs. Whatsit seemed believable and likable to me, although she was a bit strange. Charles Wallace was the greatest disappointment. He was a little brat in this movie and was completely unlike his character in the book. They made him less spectacular than he really is. Meg and Calvin were ok and were the closest to their characters in the book, but even they weren't the beloved characters I grew up reading about.

The plot greatly deviates from the book as well with all sorts of random things happening. While the basic premise is the same, it was definitely "spiced up" for the theatre and I think that it loses some of its charm because of this. I do have to say that I was kind of surprised that, for the year this movie was made, the graphics were rather terrible. They were kind of blotchy for special effects and I think they could have made some of the more fantastical elements more realistic than they did. The creature Mrs. Whatsit turns into, especially, could have been much improved on. The music as well was pretty cheesy and didn't really fit with the movie as a whole.

Definitely not what I was expecting and rather a let down. I think I'll stick to the books and avoid any sequels that come out for this movie.