Falcon Rating: 2.5/4

Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 book, A Wrinkle in Time, came to life this March for its second movie adaptation under Disney’s name—the first being a 2003 TV movie. This 2018 remake, directed by Ava DuVernay, starred Storm Reid as the story’s protagonist, Meg Murry, who goes on a journey through space and time in search of her missing father, a brilliant physicist. She’s accompanied by her younger brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), and her new friend, Calvin (Levi Miller). With the help of three immortal beings—played by Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Oprah Winfrey—these adolescents travel through numerous dimensions tracking down Meg’s father and gaining personal insight along the way.

Despite the large amount of negative attention from critics, this film did do a lot of things well. The cinematography and landscape shots were beautiful, and the costumes and makeup were unique and perfectly fit each character. Plus, the sets and filming locations helped make this fictional world feel real.

Additionally, the dialogue was updated from the original 1960s book to better fit 2018, including more modern pop culture references. The movie was also more      diverse than many of Disney’s productions, following a wide range of characters instead of the story’s original white ones.

As for the downsides of the movie: Parts of it were very cliché. These moments pulled me out of Meg’s reality, reminding me that the film is a children’s movie desperately trying to inspire. From within minutes of starting to the final scenes, tacky lines were awkwardly forced into the dialogue—especially during uneventful moments that wouldn’t call for them otherwise.

However, these parts of the movie were presented in a refreshing way, thanks to L’Engle’s unique story. Plus, regardless of how overused some of the film’s messages seem, they are still relevant and important concepts. The movie makes several commentaries on why people treat others poorly and the importance of self-advocacy, self-respect, and self-confidence when overcoming adversity.

The acting was decent with a few outliers on both ends of the spectrum. Storm Reid delivered a strong performance with infectious emotion as her character experienced trauma, heartbreak, and euphoria.

Reid’s is a name to look out for, alongside Deric McCabe—who, despite his age, managed to convincingly portray innocence and malevolence. Reid, McCabe and Chris Pine (Mr. Murry) were definitely the shining stars of the film, while Levi Miller and Mindy Kaling delivered more underwhelming performances.

Overall, it’s a children’s movie. It wasn’t groundbreaking work, but it was far from a disaster. The acting leaned towards subpar and the script was mediocre, but it had many positives adding value to the film as well, including its mesmerizing visuals and modern take on a classic story.

You’re not missing an Oscar winner if you don’t end up seeing A Wrinkle in Time, but it’s entertaining for all ages and worth watching if you have the time to do so.

This piece also appears in our March/April print edition.