My first memories of Madeleine LâEngleâs genre-crossing YA adventure novel A Wrinkle in Time are, for the most part, ones of amused confusion. Itâs an engrossing fantasy about a teenage girl, Meg, whoâdespite her anxieties and faults, and with the help of some friends and three extra-dimensional beings named Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whichâembarks on a cross-dimensional adventure to save her missing father from a terrifying monster of darkness and conformity named IT. (Not to be confused with Stephen Kingâs Itâthough they ARE both aliens.) Wrinkle was probably the first coming-of-age novel aimed at getting teenage girls interested in astrophysics, and I read it multiple times growing up. Half the time, I never really knew what Meg was talking about, but I liked the creatures, the adventures, and the promise that popular boys could like smart girls. I didnât understand Einsteinâs theory of relativity, but I played along.
Disneyâs new blockbuster isnât the A Wrinkle in Time I read as a child. Director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th) has updated the story and placed it squarely in the now: Thereâs an extended roller coaster-esque flight scene over otherworldly landscapes, a multiracial cast, instructions for self-care, and Oprah. Even Megâs parents (played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Chris Pine) get some necessary tweaks: No longer understated, wry scientists, they now disagree and tear up. Rather than regarding Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) with amicable hospitality, Megâs mother now demands to know why thereâs a strange redhead wearing bedsheets in her living room. As responses go, thatâs pretty reasonable; itâs also one of the times when DuVernayâs film sacrifices some of LâEngleâs weird.
Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) is charged with the anxious Meg (Storm Reid), who, like many of Oprahâs followers, just needs a little boost of self-confidence before sheâs ready to stand up to a universe-devouring evil.
DuVernay doesnât cut the weird, though, without adding wonder. Her update to the three Mrs. Wâs is particularly spectacular. Rather than the beak-nosed ladies they were in the book, these Mrs. Wâs are luminous, ever-changing chameleons in couture gowns. Thereâs an informal pairing offâone child for each extra-dimensional beingâand Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) is predictably charged with the anxious Meg (Storm Reid), who, like many of Oprahâs followers, just needs a little boost of self-confidence before sheâs ready to stand up to a universe-devouring evil. As Mrs. Whatsit, the youngest of the three, Witherspoon gets most of the filmâs humor, and can be seen doing things like energetically playing with a garden hose in the background. The major update for Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) is the inclusion of newer, more contemporary quotes to her repertoire: Alongside Shakespeare and Rumi, she references Lin-Manuel Miranda and Chris Tucker.
The much-discussed Sade song âFlower of the Universe,â which DuVernay requested from the singer, is incorporated into the narrative as wellâfirst as a family song that Megâs mother sings to her children, and then as one that Meg sings at a pivotal moment. Listening to âFlower of the Universeâ throughout Wrinkle didnât detract from my experience with the film, but the song is clearly difficult for the cast to sing, probably because Sade songs are not meant for mere mortals.
At the end of the day, LâEngleâs A Wrinkle in Time is a book that you read to children to get them used to the idea that science and math can interact with their day-to-day lives. DuVernayâs film also accomplishes this noble pursuitâand while it might not stand the test of time like the book, it will help this generation grow more curious about their world.