A Wasted Opportunity - by Moataz Al Mousawi - 5/10

by

A Wrinkle in Time is the latest movie produced by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Ava DuVernay based on the 1962 novel. It follows the story of troubled middle school student Meg Murry (Storm Reid) as she tries to find her father Dr. Alex (Chris Pine) who mysteriously disappeared. On her journey, she is aided by her younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), her friend at school Calvin (Levi Miller), and by three astral travelers Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey). At times the movie has some very beautiful visuals and stunning imagery, and at other times it is fairly horrible looking. There were many instances where the special effects weren't good and green screen is obviously noticeable. The movie's first act stands out the most where you are invited into the home of the Murrys. You get to see the love and warmth inside this household. How it all went downhill with the disappearance of her father. How Meg, Charles and their mother are all deeply affected by it as they struggle to live out their daily lives. It all felt very authentic and touching to watch. After that, the movie takes a turn for the worst as it proceeds to throw everything at you but the kitchen sink. The story unfolds into a sequence of events that don't really make a lot of sense, and that just leads to a very messy and jumbled movie. What doesn't help A Wrinkle in Time either is that in the final act, it begins to heavily rely and focus on Meg's little brother and that simply did not work at all for it. The movie requires too much from a small kid, and quite frankly, he is not yet up to the task. This leads to a very anti-climatic ending that did not resonate with me at all emotionally. In the end, you're just left with a lot of unanswered questions and plot holes. They could have made this into a family classic, but instead, all we got was an okay kid's movie. by Moataz Al Mousawi