“Love is always there, even if you don’t feel it – not gone, just unfolded.” –Dr. Alex Murray
The first of many quotable quotes from Disney’s newest movie ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ is the essential theme of the story. The story is simple yet captivating. Catherine Hand, the producer of the movie, successfully turned her favorite childhood book by Madeleine L’Engle into a heartwarming and philosophical movie that kids and kids at heart can easily relate to.
The film shows visually appealing graphics that would entice your child to look the entire time it is being shown. It’s like the stars are hypnotizing you through the movie screen. Although the first half of the film is quite bland, to be honest, look into it as if you are part of the story. Look at it as if you are Meg Murry’s friend and you will be okay. The story can be a little bit slow in the first half, but listen wisely to each and every word that the cast utters.
The 3 Mrs. played by Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which, Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit and Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who, give light and wisdom to Meg Murry and their viewers. It is as if the words they speak are speaking not just to the characters inside the movie, but to its spectators, too. They successfully connect with the audience, making their words more meaningful and substantial.
What steals the entire show, though, is Charles Wallace Murry played by the adorable Deric McCabe. His charm makes the story’s plot twist impactful to the audience. He gives fresh energy to the powerful cast through his youthful and innocent yet wise persona.
My personal favorite is Calvin O’Keefe. He has this youthful charm that everybody loves; but deep inside, he’s just like everyone else: an outsider trying to prove himself. Newcomer Storm Reid, on the other hand, makes her mark through the life of Meg Murry.
She brings life to the lead character not just by playing the role, but by becoming Meg Murry herself. I like how she turns the heroine’s success into a relatable struggle.
Chris Pine and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, of course, also do their best to give justice to the struggling lost and longing of their characters as Dr. Alex and Kate Murry respectively.
What made me cringe, though, is the movie’s CGI effects. I don’t know what happened to Disney, but it reminded me of the DC’s CGI mishaps. I am not sure if it is just me being trained to look at every detail of the movies that I watch because of my course in college; but for the benefit of the doubt, it can be ignored if you’ll focus on the story more.
A movie adaptation of books presses so much pressure on the production and basically everything that is involved in the project. Fortunately, despite the fact that it is not as amazing or as marvelous as other Disney movies, A Wrinkle in Time doesn’t give in to pressure. Something just falls short of the movie.
Despite being powered by Hollywood’s most powerful cast members, the movie doesn’t get to utilize the actors’ prowess to make the movie bigger and brighter. Also, I craved for more adventures with Meg, Calvin and Charles Wallace since their solo screen time was kind of cut short to give the three Mrs. ample time on screen. A Wrinkle in Time could have been a great adventure movie if some unnecessary scenes were replaced with action-packed sequences with the lead actors.
Despite the mishaps, though, I really love the essence of the movie. It shows that in today’s universe, there will always be a continuous battle between light and dark, good and evil.
‘A Wrinkle in Time’ makes you realize that your life choices and your perceptions of yourself reflect on the choices that you make. Life will always present different battles, but the important part is how you battle your faults, your wrongs, and your failures in order to use them as your strengths to conquer the struggles within you.
Here’s a tip if you want to watch the movie: get hooked on the soundtrack (the movie’s musical scoring is honestly distractingly good and captivating) and remember to OPEN YOUR EYES AND MIND THE ENTIRE MOVIE. For a few hours, forget about being an adult and watch ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ with 10-year-old eyes. I’m sure it will make the whole movie fresher and more marvelous when you watch it! Special thanks to PMCM Management and Resorts World Manila for hosting our WhenInManila.com screening of the movie!
