"I give you the Gift of your Faults" A Wrinkle in Time (2018) Review

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

1.5/5

Directed by: Ava DuVernay

Rated: PG

           "It was a dark and stormy night." Readers of all ages will be able to recognize these words from Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 novel, "A Wrinkle in Time." L'Engle's literary work has captured hearts and minds for generations and generations to come. In this generation the producers at Disney and director Ava DuVernay have adapted L'Engle's work into a feature length movie. This is Disney's second adaptation of L'Engle's book, the first one was released in 2003, and this movie is a lusterless uncreative adaptation that does not adhere to L'Engle's original vision. DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time is not an enjoyable movie experience and it does not make for a worthwhile family outing.
           There are several aspects about DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time that make it a bad movie. The first notable aspect is this movie's terrible lead performances. Storm Reid plays the lead role of Meg, and makes the character uninteresting and disbelieving. During the few close up moments when Reid does emote, it is hard to tell what emotion she is feeling. Worse than Reid is Levi Miller as the never going to be a love interest and utterly useless Calvin. Miller's performance is in perpetual state of slight amusement with a side of "huh," which does not help illustrate his character when he is in mortal peril. Worse than Miller is Deric McCabe as the unbearably egotistically and outspokenly pretentious Charles Wallace. The only thing in McCabe's favor is that he can be referred to as "cute," but even this will not keep audience member's attention throughout the entire tedious adventure. The few decent performances in this movie come from the actresses and actors that some audience members believed would "phone it in." It is clear Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and even Oprah Winfrey and Zach Galifianakis are trying their hardest to add life to this movie. Even if every performer in this movie tried as hard as they did, it would only make the movie an okay time consumer.
           Along with this movie's unappealing performances are more bad aspects. One of the most prevalent is director Ava DuVernay's blatantly poor control of this story's fantastical elements and characters. Perhaps with better direction she would have had greater control over her cast and been able to give them what they needed to accurately portray their characters and motivations. The screenplay, however, does not help DuVernay, as Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell's writing is an unintelligible mix of ideas and uncertain values. It is obvious that DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time's story borrowed plot points from another source, L'Engle's novel, and did not successfully adapt them. L'Engle's novel focuses on Christian principles concerning love and fighting darkness with spiritual light, while Lee and Stockwell's screenplay focuses on following one's dreams and accepting one's faults.  DuVernay's movie may feature the same plot points as L'Engle's novel, but because the movie's intent is different from the story's initial construction, scenes lose impact and Lee and Stockwell's message gets muddled.
           The movie also fails on a technical standpoint. DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time is made up of a nonstop barrage of close ups and inconsistent camera angles. This movie's constant inability to establish its setting is disorienting and it could cause nausea or incite headaches. Even if the camera was able to capture this movie's locations, these locations are an unattractive clash between far too wide open fields and unbearably claustrophobic hallways. Even the special effects that most audiences are looking forward to seeing are lackluster. DuVernay's A  Wrinkle in Time's unrealistic CGI and poor digital matting does not help audiences suspend their disbelief, which was already enough of a challenge. Even though this movie's supporting cast and crew put effort into this movie, it is not enough to overcome A Wrinkle in Time's major shortcomings; its terrible lead cast, poor direction, faulty screenplay and bad technical aspects.

Verdict: Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time is an uninspiring jumble of mismatched story elements built on shaky characters with uncertain values and it is unfortunately accompanied by disorienting camera work and lackluster special effects.