A Spoliery Wrinkle in Time Movie Review
I love A Wrinkle in Time. It's one of my all-time favorite books. Yet, I never thought "I so need this to be a movie." So when the news came out one was being made, I got more than a little nervous.
Because of the fan contract, I went to see it over the weekend with Bestie Danielle. People I knew who saw it loved it, but the reviews in general were not good. This didn't color my opinion either way. For the first time ever I went into a movie with no preconceived notions and was just along for the ride.
The movie wasn't a total aberration but it wasn't really true to canon either. There's a reason why they say "based on" and not "exact replica." Instead of a true movie reviewer style write up, I'll break this down by what they got right and was they didn't.
Did you see A Wrinkle in Time? What did you think?
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Because of the fan contract, I went to see it over the weekend with Bestie Danielle. People I knew who saw it loved it, but the reviews in general were not good. This didn't color my opinion either way. For the first time ever I went into a movie with no preconceived notions and was just along for the ride.
The movie wasn't a total aberration but it wasn't really true to canon either. There's a reason why they say "based on" and not "exact replica." Instead of a true movie reviewer style write up, I'll break this down by what they got right and was they didn't.
What Was Right
- Charles Wallace. OMG, I loved Charles Wallace. He was precocious and adorable and slightly off just like the book version. The actor delivered it perfectly. I couldn't picture it done better.
- Mr. Murry. Flashback scenes aside (since most of those did not exist in the book), the acting was spot on again. The love for his family is obvious just like his despair of being separated from them.
- Fortinbras. They never say the dog's name but that black dog Meg and Charles Wallace walk is Fort. It was a nice little addition.
- Meg, for the most part. Book Meg is a lot more negative and angry. A little more wild, even. What was kept and resonated was how Meg's still hella science smart and stubborn and loves her little brother unconditionally. I'm glad the traits they kept were the important ones.
- The neighborhood on Kamazotz. The coordination, the look, the exact eerieness of the place was there. When I saw that scene on the trailer initially I was sold.
What Was Wrong
- The lack of twins. Meg's the oldest of 4. Her and Charles Wallace are the bookends of above average. The twins, Sandy and Dennys, are the "normal" ones. There wasn't even a photo to show they existed. The fact they are not present indicates there were no plans for their story ever to make it to film.
- IT. First of all, it's not called "The It," it's just "IT." And it's a disembodied brain that chills out on a pedestal, not The Black Thing as was hinted in the movie. This change bothered me a lot. Probably because I find the brain much creepier than CGI lead or whatever Disney was trying to go for.
- The Happy Medium. Gender aside, The Happy Medium is someone who just wants to focus on the good things in the world and gets deeply upset about the negative. I feel like this was a missed opportunity.
- Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit. These 3 ladies were once stars, as in balls of gas, so their idea of looking human is a little off but it's not this weird bedazzles nonsense I saw. Their costumes were too over the top, too ridiculous, and not flattering for any of the actors at all. And that weird dragon/lettuce thing Mrs. Whatsit turned into? Just, no. She's supposed to transform into a winged centaur.
The Bottom Line
Overall, the movie was decent. I'm not upset by paying the matinee price. The message of family and love stayed true to the story and that's what counts.Did you see A Wrinkle in Time? What did you think?