A Wrinkle in Time is a 2018 American fantasy drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and screenplay by Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell, based on the book of the same name made by Madeleine L'Engle and the second adaptation of the L'Engle's book by Disney following the 2003 television film. The film stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis, and Chris Pine. The story follows a young girl who, with the help of three astral travelers, sets off on a quest to find her missing father. It was released on March 9, 2018 in the United States by Walt Disney Pictures. The film had the estimated budget on $100-130 million, making it a first $100 million budget live action film directed by the African-American woman, and around the marketing and distribution cost for $150 million. It ended up grossing $132.7 million worldwide, making it a flopped at the box office sales and loss for Disney's $130.6 million projectors. It received mixed-to-negative reviews who found a spoiled CGI and the panicking plot holes.
Plot[]
Thirteen-year-old Meg Murry struggles to adjust at school due to bullying and depression, four years after the disappearance of her father Alex, a renowned astrophysicist. Meg and her gifted younger brother Charles Wallace are sent to the principal after Charles scolds a pair of gossiping teachers, and Meg retaliates against Veronica, Meg's neighbor and longtime bully. Meg and her mother Kate discover Charles with an unusual visitor, Mrs. Whatsit, who claims that the tesseract – a method of space travel Alex was studying – is real.
Meg and Charles meet her classmate Calvin O'Keefe, who joins them at the house of Mrs. Who, another strange friend of Charles who speaks only in quotations. Calvin has dinner with the Murrys, and Kate remembers Alex's commitment to their research despite public ridicule. In the backyard, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who appear with Mrs. Which, revealing themselves as astral travelers. Explaining that they have come to help find Alex, who has transported himself across the universe, the Misses lead Meg, Calvin, and Charles through a tesseract to the distant planet Uriel.
The planet's sentient flowers confirm that Alex visited Uriel, and Mrs. Whatsit transforms into a flying creature, carrying the children into the sky. Calvin nearly falls to his death after noticing a dark planet that Mrs. Which identifies as Camazotz, home to an evil energy known as "the IT". They tesser to the planet Orion to seek the help of a seer named Happy Medium. Mrs. Which reveals that the IT spreads negativity throughout the universe, including on Earth: Charles' gossiping teachers were jealous of the principal's promotion; Veronica judges herself for her weight; the Murrys' kindly neighbor is mugged by severely insecure teens; and Calvin's father is an abusive perfectionist.
Happy Medium helps Meg overcome her self-doubt, and they learn that her father tessered to Uriel, then Ixchel, but was trapped on Camazotz. The Misses insist they regroup on Earth, but Meg's determination to save her father overrides the tesseract, unintentionally redirecting them to Camazotz. Unable to stay, as Camazotz's evil is stronger than their light, the Misses bestow gifts before departing: Mrs. Who gives Meg her glasses to see what is really there, Mrs. Whatsit gives Meg the knowledge of her faults, and Mrs. Which gives the children the command to never separate.
A forest appears, separating Meg and Calvin from Charles, and they are pursued by a tornado-like storm. Meg uses the storm's own force to slingshot her and Calvin atop a cliff wall, where they reunite with Charles. They find themselves in a neighborhood of look-alike homes, children, and mothers; one woman invites them inside but Meg declines, reminding Calvin and Charles not to trust anyone. Their surroundings transform into a crowded beach, where a man introduces himself as Red, assuring them Alex is safe, and offers them food. When Charles says it tastes like sand, Red possesses him through the IT, which Red is actually a puppet of.
Meg and Calvin chase after Red and Charles through the crowd, but are trapped in a seemingly empty, spherical room. Red deactivates while Charles taunts Meg and Calvin. Using Mrs. Who's glasses, Meg finds an invisible staircase to another room where her father is imprisoned. After a tearful reunion, they are dragged by Charles to meet his master. As Calvin and Meg fall under the IT's power, Alex opens a tesseract to escape with the two of them. Refusing to abandon Charles, Meg projects back to Camazotz and confronts the IT in its malevolent, neuron-like form.
Charles and the IT try to force Meg to give in to darkness, menacing her with an idealized version of herself, but Meg embraces her own imperfections and uses her love for her brother to free him. The IT dissipates as the Misses reappear, congratulating Meg and Charles on becoming "warriors of light", and Meg tessers them home. Alex is reunited with his family, and Calvin leaves to confront his father, as Meg looks to the sky, thanking the Misses
Cast[]
- Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which
- Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit
- Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Kate Murry
- Michael Peña as Red
- Storm Reid as Meg Murry
- Zach Galifianakis as The Happy Medium
- Chris Pine as Alexander Murry
- Levi Miller as Calvin
- Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace Murry
- André Holland as James Jenkins
- Rowan Blanchard as Veronica Kiley
- Bellamy Young as Camazotz Woman
- Conrad Roberts as Elegant Man
- Will McCormack and Yvette Cason as two unnamed teachers
- Daniel MacPherson as Mr. O'Keefe
Videos[]
Trailers[]
A Wrinkle in Time Official US Trailer
Official Trailer