“A Wrinkle in Time has been an adventure,” said the film’s director Ava DuVernay in a clip that was shown before the movie played. Indeed, it was.
“A Wrinkle in Time” is a sensational film to be analyzed while watching in RealD 3D. All of the actors and crew have put in their hardest hours to put together this adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s 20th century novel. It was presented with breathtaking visual effects that work to bend reality and an excellent narrative that marked an isolated youth’s path to becoming a warrior who should not lose her faith.
In the film, young Meg Murray played by Storm Reid has been an outcast since the mysterious disappearance of her father, astrophysicist Dr. Alex Murray played by Chris Pine. One day three supernatural beings, played by Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling, reveal to Meg that her father is being held captive on a distant planet. Meg, her younger brother, Charles Wallace played by Deric McCabe and classmate Calvin played by Levi Miller must leap through perilous travels and overcome their differences to save Alex and bring him home before a destructive evil, the It played by David Oyelowo, wreaks havoc.
One of the things I enjoyed most was watching Meg try to hold on to happy moments with her father as she made the journey. People mistreated her because they thought her father was crazy, but she refused to stop thinking he would return. When push came to shove, the love for her family is what gave Meg the courage to rise up against the It and reconcile her broken life. Her character marked a wonderful transition from fearful outsider to fearless hero.
Visual effects supervisor Richard McBride did a fantastic job. McBride’s visual effects gave the illusion of breaking the space-time continuum to instantly travel to distant planets. It also displayed lovely and colorful flowers. The transformation of Witherspoon’s character into some kind of creature that took the kids on a high-flying adventure gave a shocking feeling when there were tentacles dangling and horrifying visions in the dark dimensions. Nevertheless, it was powerful enough to bend reality by going beyond the limits of our modern world and directing attention to the creativity of other worlds.
There were also excellent costumes designed by Paco Delgado. Delgado’s work was sparkling when worn by Winfrey, Witherspoon and Kaling. Composer Ramin Djawadi contributed a marvelous score and a good deal of singles were recorded for its soundtrack. One of the great original songs included in the score is “I Believe” by DJ Khaled featuring Demi Lovato. The song encourages viewers and says they can do anything if they believe in themselves.
As a whole, DuVernay did an admirable job directing this film. I did not read the book before watching the film. Regardless, it was stunning and lovely just the same. If anyone wishes to see a film that will reshape their vision of the world around them while having fun, go see “A Wrinkle in Time.”
