A Wrinkle in Time
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Dazzling
Adaptation of Beloved Children's Classic Brought to the Big Screen
Madeleine
L'Engle finished writing "A Wrinkle in Time" in 1960, but
the escapist fantasy was rejected by over two dozen publishers before
it finally captured the imagination of John Farrar, co-founder of
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. In 1963, the groundbreaking, illustrated
novel won the Newbery Medal for being the best children's book of the
year.
Four
decades later, Disney eviscerated the magical masterpiece of its
religious overtones in the process of turning it into a generic,
made-for-TV kiddie movie devoid of allusions to Christianity. Even
the author expressed her displeasure with the sanitized production,
remarking, " I expected it to be bad, and it is." You see,
L'Engle, long-time writer-in-residence at the Cathedral of St. John
the Divine in New York City, had consciously laced the opus with lots
of Biblical quotations.
Fast-forward
15 years, and we now find Disney mounting a big screen version of the
beloved classic many consider unfilmable. That unenviable task fell
to Ava DuVernay, director of Selma and the Oscar-nominated
documentary, 13th.
Ava
availed herself of state-of-the-art technology to create an
eye-popping spectacular designed to enthrall young and old alike. She
also cast the message movie in colorblind fashion.
The
original ensemble only had a single, non-white member, Alfre Woodard.
Compare that to the reboot which features an ethnic rainbow
reflective of the direction in which the browning nation has been
rapidly heading. Though the film has its spiritual moments, they are
more universal in nature as opposed to pushing a Christian agenda.
The
basic plotline sounds anything but faith-based. In 25 words or less,
the story is about a brother (Deric McCabe), sister (Storm Reid) and
friend (Levi Miller) who time-travel to distant universes with the
help of a trio of astral travelers played by Oprah, Mindy Kaling and
Reese Witherspoon.
The
kids are searching for the siblings' scientist father (Chris Pine)
who went missing several years earlier. Along the way, they learn
some big life lessons about what really matters in life.
An
overblown, intergalactic saga certain to tug on your heartstrings
during unapologetically-sentimental breaks in the action.
Rated PG for peril and mature themes
Running time: 109 minutes
Production Studios: Whitaker Entertainment / Walt Disney Pictures
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
To see a trailer for A Wrinkle in Time, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4U3TeY2wtM
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