{"id":263,"date":"2018-03-16T00:23:10","date_gmt":"2018-03-16T00:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=263"},"modified":"2018-03-31T00:43:34","modified_gmt":"2018-03-31T00:43:34","slug":"a-wrinkle-in-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=263","title":{"rendered":"A Wrinkle in Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Never been a huge fan of reading, so admittedly I have not<\/em> read any of the books in Madeleine L\u2019Engle\u2019s \u201cA Wrinkle in Time\u201d series.<\/p>\n

Shocking, I know. I\u2019m sure they\u2019re fabulous reads.<\/p>\n

However, having not read the books there was no temptation to make the page-to-screen comparisons while watching Disney\u2019s \u201cA Wrinkle in Time,\u201d the latest flick from director Ava DuVernay (\u201cSelma\u201d).<\/p>\n

Four years after her NASA scientist father Mr. Murry (Chris Pine) inexplicably vanished, young Meg (Storm Reid) gets a note on her locker from what I can only assume is the typical flock of little B-words (every school has one) to wish her a \u201cHappy anniversary \u2013 if only you\u2019d disappear, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeahhhh, kids are swell.<\/p>\n

Mr. Murry was \u201csure he could travel with his mind\u201d by \u201cwrinkling time\u201d to explore the \u201cconnections to and between other dimensions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone knows about Mr. Murry\u2019s disappearance, but no one has any answers \u2013 that is, until Meg\u2019s little brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) introduces Meg to Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon); Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling); and the grandest and most magnificent of all, Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey).<\/p>\n

They heard a call in the universe. Mrs Which tells Meg that Mr. Murry has \u201ctraveled farther \u2026 than any human has\u201d but that \u201che may be in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s a girl to do?<\/p>\n

Grab her brother and her friend Calvin (Levi Miller) and \u201ctesser\u201d throughout the universe to find and bring back her father.<\/p>\n

DUH!<\/em><\/p>\n

And we experience the surrealism and beauty and quirks as Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin traverse dimensions \u2013 visiting lands such as Uriel, Orien and Camazotz; meeting gossipy flowers and the Happy Medium (Zach Galifianakis) and The Man with Red Eyes (Michael Pena).<\/p>\n

The premise here is a fun one for sure. The process, on the other hand, is a little\u2026 meh. There are some cute memories of Meg and her father, but I never got any true sense of tug-at-your-heart emotion, which is essential to us caring about the success or failure of this mission.<\/p>\n

Some of the pieces to this story seemed either to not fit or just felt completely irrelevant, essentially muddying the overall narrative.<\/p>\n

I mean, it was fine; I\u2019m sure a lot of this is carryover from the books \u2013 again, didn\u2019t read \u2018em, so I can\u2019t be certain \u2013 but I feel like some things weren\u2019t explained and as such had no purpose in moving this story forward.<\/p>\n

BUT\u2026 there are two things that I thought really<\/em> helped (and actually saved?) this flick: the stunning visuals, and those kids!<\/em><\/p>\n

The effects that create the frequencies and fantasy worlds are believable enough and highly impressive. And that emaciated scene during which Meg climbs a flight of stairs that no one can see? THAT is crazy cool and a definite treat for the eyes.<\/p>\n

Even more delightful are the performances from Reid, McCabe and Miller.<\/p>\n

Reid\u2019s maturity commands attention, and she\u2019s so expressive \u2013 though effectively not-so-much when appropriate \u2013 that you can\u2019t help but be captivated. Also, she has the<\/em> most amazing hair, whether she realizes it or not.<\/p>\n

As Calvin, Miller (who also was amazing in 2015\u2019s \u201cPan\u201d<\/a>) is earnest and encouraging; his quiet enthusiasm is endearing and refreshing. And he\u2019s very possibly the sweetest kid in the universe.<\/p>\n

McCabe is a strong presence and delivers Charles Wallace\u2019s freakish intelligence and vision with a steadfast confidence that makes you wonder if he\u2019s even real.<\/p>\n

These kids collectively steal the show while being the biggest reason for its success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWrinkle\u201d feels very Disney-esque, with its not-too-terrifying moments of peril and its universal lessons on family, friendship and self:\u00a0“Find the right frequency, and have faith in who you are.”<\/p>\n

Meg\u2019s quest obviously is more than simply a search for her father \u2013 and though a few elements of this story are a bit lackluster and the emotional investment was seriously lacking other aspects stepped up to at least give moviegoers a mostly engaging and visually \u201cluminous\u201d experience.<\/p>\n

You have just enjoyed the insights of Movie Addict Mel, a cinema dork and conversational writer. Follow her on Twitter\u00a0@movieaddictmel<\/a>, and \u201clike\u201d her Facebook page\u00a0www.facebook.com\/movieaddictmel<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0You also can email her at movieaddictmel@outlook.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n