A Wrinkle in Time - NR

Somewhat clunky but mostly faithful production of the beloved book.

Rating: NR for not rated Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment Running Time: 138 minutes Release Date: 11/01/2006 Genre: Family and Kids

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know the story is a good vs. evil parable. There are some frightening moments when the kids travel through time and space. There are separations -- the father is missing, the mother is sad, the siblings who need each other become parted for a while (although it ends happily) so kids going through an emotional time might want to pass. The giant brain IT is never shown in its entirety, which disappointed several kids who love the book and wanted to see the real evil.

Parents who watch with their kids might discuss what being different means and what it means to be true to yourself and those you love rather than being popular.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Common Sense Media

You have to admire the guts of whoever tries to squeeze this beloved classic into two hours. And, like any slipper that's the wrong size for a foot, this production rubs the wrong way in several crucial spots.

Gamely performed by the kids, the adult roles are sadly cartoonish and two dimensional despite the presence of the marvelous Kate Nelligan and Alfre Woodard. The movie also stars Alison Elliott, Kyle Secor, Chris Potter, Sarah-Jane Redmond, David Dorfman, Katie Stuart and Gregory Smith.

When astrophysicist Dr. Jack Murry (Chris Potter) disappears without a trace, his children, Meg (Katie Stuart) and Charles Wallace (David Dorfman), and neighbor Calvin O'Keefe (Gregory Smith) take it upon themselves to find him. Guided by Mrs. Whatsit (Alfre Woodard), Mrs. Who (Alison Elliott) and Mrs. Which (Kate Nelligan), the children embark on a cosmic quest before finally reaching the dark planet, Camazotz, where they encounter a society of human beings controlled by an evil force. They must use their collective and personal strengths to find Dr. Murry and save their own lives.

A Wrinkle in Time became an instant children's classic when it was published, and won the Newberry Award in 1962. For over forty years it has been on the required reading list for children, has sold over six million copies in the United States and been translated into over 13 foreign languages.

So it might come as a disappointment to the generations who have loved this book that the movie doesn't do an adequate job of portraying the evil of IT. Instead of being menacing, IT is a campy mass of snake-line tissue, never fully revealed. The darkness is also never fully explained and the resolution of the struggle is so quick that if you get up to fetch a tissue, you will miss it entirely. Sadly, the ending just doesn't move or satisfy and the transformations of the characters, so powerful in the book, remain superficial in this version.

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