A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Rating: 7.5/10

Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi

Related Titles: The BFG, Pan, The NeverEnding Story

By Leanne Harragan

Meg and her brother Charles have been living without their father for five years since he discovered a new planet and decided to travel there. Joined by her friend Calvin and accompanied by three astral travellers Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which they brave the journey to the new planet.

Disney throws you straight into the classic family, a mother and father who love there children like no family ever has before. Then tragedy strikes and their father Dr. Alex Murry suddenly disappears. Skip ahead four years and the kids are falling apart at school, once a prodigy, Meg is now getting in trouble at every corner. Cue the arrival of the mystical Mrs. Whatsit and the wild journey into the unknown begins. 

Like most Disney films this film follows a main story that is mystical and magical and one of the things that this work so well was the incredible cast and the work that was put in by the stars of this film. Starting with the main characters. Storm Reid played the struggling Meg Murry, bullied at school, lost without her father, she struggles with self-esteem issues and her character development arc is certainly heartwarming. The standout performance however goes to Deric McCabe playing younger brother Charles Wallace, a boy who is very self-aware and self-assured in his abilities and potential. His performance was a not stop trip and he is so charming but at times scary, showing the ability of this young actor. Similarly Reese Witherspoon (Mrs. Whatsit), Oprah Winfrey (Mrs. Which) and Mindy Kaling (Mrs. Who) were great choices for the three astral travellers, assisting the young adventurers along their way. Winfrey especially was the highlight as Mrs. Which was the most motherly of the three and she was the perfect choice for this role. 

The plot was so-so, it is something that I've definitely seen done before. While the plot is just okay. The visuals make up for this, easily one of the most visually pleasing films I've scene. The use of colours all the time was so beautiful and the time spent perfecting this has paid off. The scene when everyone arrives on the new planet is one of the most stunning shots I've seen. Similarly the time and effort that went into costume design for each of the Mrs. was out of this world. The costume designers went above and beyond with every single costume, each outfit changed included new jewellery, new makeup designs and new hairstyles, often for it just to be worn for a short few moments of the film. 

One of the most interesting plot points of this film for me was the evil or what the film called 'The IT.' A life force of it's own feeding on the weakness of every single individual to spread the 'darkness.' There is one seen that shows 'The IT' at work and it partially explains why all the horrible things happen in the world. One that especially stood out was the pressure that a young middle-school girl felt to be thin, showing her stepping on the scales, marking things down in a notebook and cutting to the list of things that she must do to conform to societal pressure. Another interesting thing was the perfect version of Meg that she envisioned: straight hair, no glasses, immaculate dress sense and perfect body. This is what made the film so important, the message of self-love and learning to love all your flaws. 

That's about everything for this film. It had an inspiring message, science, a good soundtrack (check out Flower of the Universe by Sade), diversity and an outstanding cast. I very much look forward to reading the original source material by Madeline L'Engle which I ordered almost immediately after leaving!

Rating: 8/10

By Rebecca Mannick

For a children's Disney movie, 'A Wrinkle in Time' was quite a complex and complicated storyline. In no way is that a negative as this movie was truly beautiful and meaningful in a lot of different ways. I don't think that it will become an instant Disney classic but I do think it should be taken seriously. It's full of story, meaningful connections and twists and turns. There were so many great performances it was truly amazing to watch on the big screen. The abundance of colours and visual effects worked so well together to make every shot interesting and exciting. 

Before I dive in deeper on other topics, I just want to say what a great job Ava  DuVernay did as director, it was well thought out and impacted positivity on the story. For a Hollywood dominated by men its great to see a black woman directing such a powerful and meaningful movie. *Standing Ovation*

What really was a pleasure to experience was the set-design and costume. Every detail was well thought out and executed, especially for the characters who were people of the 'universe'. It is always interesting for me to see the vision of the creators of what their 'future' is or in this case the people of the universe. They are extravagant and over-the-top but always beautiful and colourful. I think what made it better in this picture was that they also had 'superpowers' and made it their quest to help Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin who were on their own quest to find Meg and Charles' father lost in the universe. 

The performances from Reece Witherspoon as Mrs Whatsit, Oprah Winfrey as Mrs Which and Mindy Kaling as Mrs Who were all amazing and unique in their own way. They were able to guide the story and each have their individual traits which brought different elements to the story. Also Storm Reid who played the lead character Meg, was actually brilliant. For someone who is so young she was able to portray so many complex emotions and her delivery and timing was also second to none. A special mention to Deric McCabe who plays Charles Wallace. Baring in mind he is only 9 years old he was adorable and versatile as an actor. These two leads are definitely going to be huge movie stars and with age comes with experience and progression. It was very impressed. 

A Wrinkle in Time was on the whole a fantastic movie, it was well thought out and had many different sides to it which will keep any audience entertained and gripped on the storyline. It also helps that visually it was amazing and the effects were perfectly executed. The performances from the whole cast made everything more empathetic and impacting. For sure a good watch and one for all the family.