Are you interested in the science fiction or fantasy genre? If so, A Wrinkle in Time could be perfect for you.

The film, which came out in early March, is based on a novel by the same name by Madeleine L’Engle, which was published in 1962. The 2018 film is directed by Ava DuVernay, who made sure that the visual aspects of the movie took center stage. Both the book and it’s movie rendition center around the life of Meg Murry, played by Storm Reid, a girl many see as impulsive, dumb, and ugly because she is being compared to her genius parents. Her whole family is well-known because her mother and father were very famous scientists until her father disappeared from their entire family four years before the film’s story begins. Meg and her genius brother Charles Wallace, played by Deric McCabe, don’t let the suddenness of their father’s disappearance bring their hope of finding him down.

In the book the story begins with Meg covering herself in bed as a terrible storm is pummeling the world outside. However, in the movie, they choose to start with Meg reflecting on times she had with her father when she was younger before he disappeared. Mr. Murry is played by Chris Pine. The difference in the opening scene gives us a chance to see Meg’s relationship with her father before we see what happened to the Murry family after he left. It is nice touch as it gives insight into the relationship the father and daughter had, something not in the book.

After this opening scene in the book, Meg leaves the noisiness of her attic bedroom and we meet her younger brother Charles, who was said to be adopted in the movie, but it was never specified in the book. Charles is smart young man, but everyone at school, even the teachers, say he is weird and too quiet. With his curiosity at work, we meet three powerful beings who tag along with Meg and Charles Wallace on an adventure. The three, Mrs. Whatsit, played by Reese Witherspoon, Mrs. Which, played by Oprah Winfrey, and Mrs. Who, played by Mindy Kaling, come to tell the kids that they know where their father is and need Meg and Charles’ help to find him. To do that though they travel by “wrinkling time” through a tesseract, which the book describes as “the fifth dimension…you add that to the other four dimensions and you can travel through space without having to go the long way around.”

Using this way of travel is actually something their father created. In their adventure they go through the whole universe to find the darkest and most evil part of it. This is where Mr. Murry has been trapped. To get to him they go through many trials that use their fears against them. However, when they find their dad, the evil amalgamation that had control over the monstrous being takes over Charles instead. To save him Meg stays behind as everyone else tesseracts back to Earth. Using the power of love and their happiest memories she brings her brother back from the harmful emotions the monster intensified inside Charles.

The director made the visual aspect of the movie a priority and left certain characters and storylines out of the movie, most importantly some that made Meg a stronger character by the end of the book. For this I give the movie 7 out of 10 stars.