REVIEW
A Wrinkle In Time
Where: Cineplex Odeon Victoria, Cineplex Odeon Westshore, Landmark Cinemas University Heights, SilverCity Imax, Star
Starring: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon
Directed by: Ava DuVernay
Parental advisory: G
Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of four
听
Ava DuVernay鈥檚 A Wrinkle in Time is a landmark film even before it hits the theatres. The adaptation of Madeleine L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 eerie, mystical young adult sci-fi novel from 1962 was budgeted at more than $100 million, the largest budget a woman of colour has been handed for a film. DuVernay is only the fourth female director to receive that kind of budget for a project, and in tackling the beloved A Wrinkle in Time, she has taken an enormous swing. That alone is worthy of recognition.
DuVernay marshalled an array of star power to inhabit L鈥橢ngle鈥檚 tale, with Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling stepping into the roles of the Misses; supernatural, deity-like beings who guide the young Meg (Storm Reid) on her journey through space and time. It鈥檚 almost laughably appropriate casting for Winfrey, who embodies the wise, godlike presence Mrs. Which.
Underneath the sci-fi and fantasy elements of both the book and film of A Wrinkle in Time, the story is quite simple: a young girl sets out to find her missing father (Chris Pine). She may travel through fantastical worlds of space and time, guided by mystical forces, but ultimately, this is a story about reuniting a family.
Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell have adapted what has been considered an 鈥渦nfilmable鈥� book, and keeping the story simple, and earnest, is the necessary foundation for the fantastical set pieces that DuVernay crafts. Meg, her precocious younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), and their friend Calvin (Levi Miller) travel through space and time, from verdant and vibrant planets to the dark, reality-bending space of Camazotz, where her father is believed to be stranded.
DuVernay shoots for the stars with a highly stylized look and energy to the film that鈥檚 both visionary and referential. It鈥檚 very much akin to a children鈥檚 fantasy adventure film from the 鈥�80s or 鈥�90s 鈥� the quirky Misses, especially Witherspoon鈥檚 Mrs. Whatsit, are clearly indebted to Zelda Rubinstein鈥檚 performances from Teen Witch and Poltergeist. In certain moments, it feels a lot like The NeverEnding Story, in others, it鈥檚 closer to the oddball Robin Williams vehicle Toys.
When Wrinkle is firing on all cylinders, it鈥檚 a transporting adventure that brings you back to the imaginative adventure of childhood, when the stakes were clear, and always high. The goals are straightforward, and the film wears its heart plainly on its sleeve. It鈥檚 not often that we see purely straightforward films that are simply about vanquishing darkness with the light from within us. That鈥檚 exactly what Wrinkle is about, and it never hides or nuances that message.
But there are times when the film doesn鈥檛 quite flow. The tone and style is often herky jerky and affected, especially with the Misses. The edit isn鈥檛 smooth and lulling 鈥� instead it skitters and yanks, often to alert us to shifts in the film鈥檚 reality, but it鈥檚 jarring and uncomfortable. Some of the more action-packed moments devolve into a jumble of greyish CGI, losing all of the carefully honed world-building. Even worse, the relationship between Calvin and Meg is uncomfortably romantic and distracting.
DuVernay has set out to make an ambitious fantasy epic, and in many ways, she succeeds. Pine is wonderful as the reckless but inspirational dad Dr. Murry, and McCabe is a breakout star, stealing the film from his co-stars as the odd little brother. Many moments are beautiful and surreal, while others are just plain weird (and not always in a good way). If it doesn鈥檛 always work, well, at least DuVernay went for it, and her version of A Wrinkle in Time is just as gorgeous and strange as can be expected.
