Time limitations hamper Wrinkle A Wrinkle in Time (PG)
109 mins ★★★ 1⁄2
Adapting Madeleine L’Engle’s muchloved, mind-bending, space-travelling sci-fi 1962 was always going to be a tricky task.
With its tesseracts, trio of Whichs, Whatsits and Whos, and seemingly endless different terrains, corralling all its ideas (it was actually the first of five books) into a satisfying two-hour tale seems hopelessly daunting. So Ava DuVernay (Selma) deserves a lot of credit for making Wrinkle watchable and enjoyable. What it isn’t though is easy to follow, or engaging enough to truly satisfy.
Thirteen-year-old Meg Murray (an impressive Storm Reid) has been lost since the disappearance of her scientist father Alex (Chris Pine) four years ago.
Once Meg loved education but now James Baldwin Middle School holds no joy for her.
‘‘If he walked through that door – what would happen?’’ asks her concerned principal, as Meg lands in trouble once again. ‘‘The world would make sense again,’’ she replies.
But while her mother frets, younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) stuns everyone when he invites in the extravagantly dressed Mrs Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) who claims that their father is alive, but needs their help.
What follows is a vibrantly coloured series of set pieces, as the siblings and Meg’s classmate Calvin (Levi Miller) planet hop towards their destiny and self-empowerment. Be prepared though – this is a movie that features a giant Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling speaking in quotes, Witherspoon transforming into an anthropomorphised cabbage leaf and Zach Galifianakis playing a character called the Happy Medium.
It’s a crazy mix of Heavenly Creatures, Time Bandits, The Neverending Story, Contact and Interstellar that tries to get by on its special effects and star power, but only really succeeds because of DuVernay and company’s attempts to ground the more than 55-year-old story in some kind of contemporary drama and DuVernay’s decision to cast Reid.
She’s the movie’s heart and centre, while a maelstrom of ideas and visions swirl somewhat overwhelmingly around her. – James Croot