Review of A Wrinkle in Time (2018) by Thomas D — 20 Mar 2018

There's no denying the importance that this movie may have for some audiences. The mere fact that this past weekend saw the first time 2 movies with 2 directors of color top the box office is astonishing and inspiring. It's long overdue, and should be lauded. On that note, A Wrinkle in Time is a film that ends up being of far more importance than it does a film that will please most. To say the least, it's a mess.

I walked out of the theater trying to quantify what this film felt like, and I think to me, it's a Disney Channel Original Movie with the budget of your typical summer blockbuster. The budget of a little over 100 million is actually historic, for giving the first black woman a budget that high to direct a film. But that's not even necessarily the problem with the film. The problem lies with the screenplay and perhaps partially DuVernay's direction.

I've never read the book, nor had the interest to, but I have to imagine there was an easier way to adapt this book than the result we got. The story revolves around Meg, who's father has gone missing for years, as she tries to travel through time and space with a few strange beings, her brother, and a new friend from school. Perhaps some audiences, mostly on the younger side, will connect to the story of reconnection and family, but the execution is mind-bogglingly silly.

There are particular story choices in the 3rd act that are laughably out of place, and even a few blatant mistakes in directing that I never truly could grasp how they got past the editing room. If this were to have come out when I was younger, perhaps it's something I could connect with. But a well-performed and semi-visually impressive film isn't enough to surpass all of the frustrating mistakes in the script and direction.

4.0/10.