 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
A Wrinkle in Time
- NR
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2006
Common Sense Media says
Somewhat clunky but mostly faithful to the book.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the story of this movie 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.
What's the story?
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.
Is it any good?
You have to admire the guts of whoever tries to squeeze this beloved children's book 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. This film adaptation might come as a disappointment to fans of the book because it 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.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about 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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AGE
perfect for kids 8 and older spme 7 year olds too
this movie is one of my favorites though at times when the kids travel to the planet camalot it can be depressing like gray walls and no motion. Calvin is locked up. The darknesss may disturb some kids when they are travling through time the witches turn into spirts. The rest has a very strong message about who you are and you can do anything and love is always the key to things. Kids ages 7 up shoudl see this movie and if your kids are not disturbed by such dark and spirttual stuff it is i grat movie
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AGE
More Comments from Kids, Ages 8-12
Very much like the book. Slightly predictable, but otherwise a job well done. --Maddy
I think the whole entire thing was great. Some of it was a bit scary. --Philip
It kept to the story well. They left out a pretty exciting part, but other than that it was very faithful to the book. Excellent. --Kate
It was great! Very good special effects and so-so acting. There was not a perfect ending, which I liked. --Savi
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AGE
Love Conquers All
My eight year old and I, his father, are avid readers. We listen to books on tape as he falls to sleep at night and we tried the book. It is rare when we pass on one, this one went on and on about missing sheets. We gave up on it, I guess we did too soon. We thought this movie was fantastic, excellent 'good vs. evil' theme and 'it's ok to be different'. Enchanting special effects, I am amazed I never heard of it. I read it was originally going to be a mini-series and was cut to this version. I would love to see the movie in it's entirety. I read a new version is in production, I can't wait.
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AGE
Watched it in class after we read the book. Eh..
I had to read the book for school, and then we watched a part of this movie in class when we were done. OK, i just have one question for you:
WHY IS THE HAPPY MEDIUM A MAN-LADY?!!? ARE YOU TRYING TO SCARE SMALL CHILDREN?
And my other concern is, when Mrs. Whatsit was talking to them through the TV, I it scared the heck outta me and all my 11 and 12 year old classmates! That was the scariest part of what we got to watch! I saw poltergeist, so i was like, OH MY GOSH THE GHOSTS CAME BACK!!! haha!
it's an OK movie, for 11 and up. and explain to your kids that the happy medium is really just a funny looking ladya and shes just messin around! if you don't you will have to have an awkward talk......
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AGE
More Comments from Kids, Ages 8-12
The movie mostly stuck to the story. It is a bit too scary for small kids. It had good special effects. --Alec
I really liked the movie. It was really cool. Also it was scary. --Zach
It was really great! Just a little too scary. Really good special effects too! --Lena
I liked the different worlds and the illusions. --Skylar
I loved this more because of how realistic it was. Even though it was fantasy, it seemed real. --Simone
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AGE
A Wrinkle in Time
I love the book so when I saw this movie at the library, I just had to get it. All of my sisters and brothers watched this with me and no one like it really, not even me. We all thought that it was kind of dumb and that they should have gotten different people to play in this movie.
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AGE
Comments from Kids, Ages 8-12
We screened the movie for a group of children in third through sixth grades. Here are some of their comments.
Faith to story -- 4 of 5
Plot -- 5 of 5
Overall -- 5 of 5
A very good movie. I have seen a lot of time travel movies, and this is the best. -- Max
Very exciting and the time warp was really cool. It was a great movie and I would advise you to watch it. --Ryan
It was good, and pretty close to the book, but I thought Mrs. Which was supposed to be kind of old, and when she was first shown I got confused. Otherwise it was a really good movie. -- Lisel
This movie was one of the most stellar best movies I've seen in years. It had unexplainable imagination compounded with a wonderful world of imagination and wonder. Praise to the makers -- they really overdid themselves. People who like Harry Potter will really like this movie. A Matrix for young adults. The series of Merlin, Harry Potter, and the Chronicles of Narnia. A wonderful story for the family. --Chris
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Kid, 12 years old
October 13, 2010
AGE
just a litle better the book but steal really god
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AGE
Great "Made for TV" Movie!
The overall message of this Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie is that family members need each other and that the world is a evil place without love. This was an enjoyable movie for our family.
The quality & effects of the movie are great for a movie that was made for TV, not nearly the same quality as big screen films like Harry Potter.
There are some dark scenes, and effects that would scare younger children. The separation of family members was worrisome to my 7-year old. Examples: the father is missing, the kids are told to stay together and they don't, the kids leave their mom and younger brothers behind as they go to search for their dad.
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters, space and aliens |
| Studio: | Buena Vista |
| Director: | John Kent Harrison |
| Cast: | Chris Potter, Gregory Smith, Katie Stuart |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 138 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | November 1, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | November 1, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | NR |
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