A Wrinkle In Time

I thought that I was excited to see "A Wrinkle in Time." I remember reading the book and enjoying it as a kid, but adulthood has a funny way of altering your perception of things. As I watched the film, I couldn't help but think, "I don't remember any of this. Did I even read this book?" Now of course, this isn't the first time that this has happened to me (I'm looking at you "The Giver"), but it's the first time it has felt like a real barrier to entry. There is just so much to "A Wrinkle in Time" that it ends up feeling terribly abridged.

Meg Murry is having a tough go of things. A thirteen-year-old in every way, she struggles to find her place at both home and school, trying to both fit in and come to grips with the sudden disappearance of her father. But that's all about to change, when the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit enters her life.

There is a lot of possibility in "A Wrinkle in Time." Director Ava DuVernay is often one of the most happily discussed directors working today (having her name thrown around whenever a new hot property becomes available). Adding to that is a cast that includes juggernauts like Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Chris Pine. Then you throw in that big Disney money and this thing should be a shoe-in. But it never comes together to be anything all that special.

Part of the problem is that it has a terribly rushed feel throughout. Sacrificing the longform space of a novel, a lot of "A Wrinkle in Time" gets left by the wayside. These numerous holes aren't filled in, so the feature spends a lot of time hoping from hole to hole, hoping that the audience will be distracted by the wonderful visuals enough not to realize that none of this makes any sense.

With that being said, "A Wrinkle in Time" is fantastic to look at, and the Blu-ray release spares no expense in making it just as wonderous on your home screen. Going along with the great video and audio quality is a bevy of familiar special features. There is a 30-minute featurette that plays like several featurettes slammed together, some music videos, as well as a handful of deleted scenes and a brief blooper reel. The best feature however, is an audio commentary absolutely loaded with those that worked on the film behind-the-scenes (led by DuVernay).

Although "A Wrinkle in Time" has some serious story problems, it maintains the heartfelt themes of the original novel and visuals that are absolutely beautiful.

"A Wrinkle in Time"
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital HD
https://movies.disney.com/
$29.99