Blogger’s note: If you have not seen the movie, you may wish to skip this post.
Opening weekend, I took my daughters to see A Wrinkle in Time, along with my dad. We had been waiting forever to see this movie. A few days before it came out, the reviews started to roll out… and they were not good. I almost elected not to go; they were that bad. But, in the end, we used a gift card to justify our trip; after all, we weren’t paying full price!
Now, I read and adored the book when I was a little girl. My daughters also have read the book, most recently, Lucia. So, we knew the story and we were looking forward to seeing it come alive on the big screen. But, alas, the streak continues – books are nearly always better than movies in my world.
First of all, there was a continuity problem, as well as a pacing issue. I just felt that things happened too quickly in the movie. It went from one thing to the other to the other so rapidly, that things were left undeveloped and, for me, it was hard to get my head out of one situation and on to the next. This is an issue regardless of whether you are familiar with the book. As for continuity, of course things were eliminated from the screenplay, as is normally the case with a movie adaptation. However, the writers left certain lines in that just didn’t make sense. In an early scene, for example, Charles Wallace is accused of heating way too much milk on the stove to which he responds, “You never know who might be visiting.” But, then, the visitor doesn’t materialize until later! (In the book, there IS an additional visitor in that scene.) So, that’s just one of many missteps.
Also, a key portion of the climax is completely eliminated from the movie, which to me just ruined the entire thing. That scene needs to happen in order to resolve the story and they left it out. Even my 8-year-old wondered why we were not able to see that part. What’s more, the ending, which wasn’t exactly the way it went in the book was secular, and the movie omitted the Christian references. That was the part of the story that spoke to me the most and to have it eliminated was disappointing.
Characters were missing, which may prove to be challenging in the future, should they decide to make the sequel into a movie, as well.
What did they do right? They released in on daylight saving time weekend, making a unique marketing message to get people to the theaters. They also, played out the “girl power” theme, with a strong message to young girls everywhere to embrace who they are and don’t be afraid, etc. There was also commentary on bullying, which was a good anti-message. I also loved the science themes; the main character was good at science and loved it, which is a great message for young girls to hear. The scenery and costumes/makeup were beautiful. My 11-year-old daughter exclaimed as we left the theater, “There was a lot of glitter in that movie!”
Would I recommend this movie? Maybe. If you have young, impressionable girls in your life, it’s a great message. If you haven’t read the book, you may enjoy it for what it is. If you have read the book, I urge caution and perhaps an open mind to avoid disappointment.
As far as wine, while we didn’t see the movie at Movie Tavern where I could have ordered a glass, I did think about wine and time. Wine gets better with age, as you know. And, perhaps the same could be said for movies. Some movies, as my husband pointed out, were complete duds when first released but later became smash hits. Even “It’s A Wonderful Life,” got a lukewarm reception way back when but now is considered one of the best.
Often, wine improves with each sip, as well, which was the case with the one we drank this past week. First Leaf Wine’s Cartesian Cabernet Sauvignon from the Central Coast of California at first was almost bitter to me and I wasn’t sure about the overall taste. But, as I sipped it, it got better. Time was on its side, you might say. Maybe time will be on A Wrinkle in Time’s side, as well. Time will tell.