I’m watching Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” and I’m asking myself two questions.
1.) Is this really made by two wonderful women like director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) and screenwriter Jennifer Lee (“Frozen”)?
You get a number of talents like Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey talking like “Bill Nye the Science Guy” fans, a fine actress like Gugu Mbatha-Raw making faces, a young actress like Storm Reid (“Sleight”) talking like Elsa before her “Let it Go” number, and a little kid like Deric McCabe, who won’t shut the Hell up.
And you get visuals that work in colors and nothing else. You see flowers that speak in colors, dark clouds known as “the It,” and a shape-shifting community that goes from a zombie-like neighborhood to a crowded beach. And yet, you don’t care.
2.) With all the physics dialogue, is a little kid supposed to understand this?
Some easy dialogue, sure, but to me, I could barely understand a word the characters were saying, other than Chris Pine’s character being stranded somewhere out in the universe and the number one priority: getting him home.
Pine is the NASA genius Dr. Alex Murry, who wants to prove his theory of traveling throughout the universe in the blink of an eye. And then one day, he vanishes without a trace. That’s why his daughter Meg (Reid) starts acting aggressive and mopey in school, and why his son Charles Wallace (McCabe) makes contact with three Mrs.-Which (Winfrey) Whatsit (Witherspoon), and Who (Kaling)-who all hear cry for help from Murry. Much to Meg’s disbelief, she travels with them to find him.
Joining them on their journey is Calvin (Levi Miller), a popular boy, who mostly acts like a newbie Prince Charming towards Meg. And cameoing is Zach Galifianakis as a guru, who helps Meg track the whereabouts of her dad.
And now, I have a third question: so what? Some people would see “A Wrinkle in Time” for the visuals, and being a Disney-labeled film. But a little kid couldn’t understand it, because it’s all physics and visuals, and less of the characters and imagination. “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Interstellar” were both classic Sci-Fi movies of its kind, but this is more of a sad and dreary film with soundtrack promos-some are good and others are dull-and annoying characters-all played by fine talents.
And I got annoyed every time they said “Charles Wallace,” instead of just “Charles” or “Chuck.” I already panned “After Earth” for studying the dictionary from top to bottom, we don’t need another one.
DuVernay and Lee are both wonderful female filmmakers, but this is not their finest. In fact, it’s one of the worst movies of the year.
⭐️
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