★★★

Watching A Wrinkle in Time was a strange but unique experience. It touched on many familiar themes, but ones that still maintain relevance nonetheless. It did follow a fairly cookie-cutter fantasy formula, but it's also important to remember that it is a children's story, after all. Boasting colourful visuals and some touching performances (although lacking in screen time for Reese, Mindy, and Oprah), it may not be perfect, but it has a whole lot of heart.

Based on the novel by Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time follows a young Meg (Storm Reid) whose scientist father Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) goes missing after he and his wife Kate (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) discover how to access an alternate dimension in the universe. After encountering Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Meg, along with the help of younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and friend Calvin (Levi Miller), embarks on a journey to find her missing father.

This isn't exactly anything new in its genre, but I would say some critics are being just a little too harsh with it. The scope of it was amazing and it felt like a fairly immersive experience, which isn't quite always the case for kids' movies, where hyperawareness as an audience member of watching from the outside can be a distraction. And despite its familiarity, I still found myself touched by its sentiments.

The biggest names billed on the film are also the ones who arguably appear in the least of it. Maybe that's a slight over-exaggeration, but Witherspoon, Kaling, and Winfrey fail to appear in a good chunk of the movie, despite being the draw for some of the adult members in the crowd (actually, now that I think of it, I don't think there was a single child at my screening). It didn't impact the film that much, but it would've been nice to see them more.

One thing we can definitely celebrate is the fact that this high-budget film was directed by Ava DuVernay, a female POC, and that led to more diversity being shown onscreen, as well. The film also touched a lot on toxic heteronormative ideology and learning to appreciate yourself despite your insecurities. Even if A Wrinkle in Time isn't up your alley, there is a message of love hidden in the folds for everyone.