Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A Wrinkle in Time 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 28, 2018

It's admittedly been quite a number of years since this reviewer read Madeleine L'Engle's classic novel A Wrinkle in Time, but even the passage of time is not enough to note some deviations from the story that might upset fans who hold the novel in high esteem, of which there are many. While this is certainly not the most faithful, or the finest, film adaptation out there, Director Ava DuVernay (Selma) crafts a heartwarming story of personal growth and adventure through amazing places. The film might have won over more hearts had it deviated a little more from the book and sold itself with an unrelated identity, but for those who can set aside comparative critiques and watch the movie as it is and judge it on face value, chances are they'll see the film as a centrally tender, though certainly a little weird and rough around the edges, story of self discovery and imagination.

Meg Murry (Storm Reid) comes from good stock. Both her mother (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and father (Chris Pine) are geniuses, gifted scientific minds who are working on a radical new project that claims humans are capable of "wrinkling space" and transporting themselves to the far reaches of the universe in the blink of an eye, a process they call "the tesseract." One day, Meg's father disappears. He never returns home. It's been four years since his disappearance and, for Meg, life has not been the same. Meg is bullied at school, partly for her minor celebrity status as the daughter of the man in the middle of one of the most famous disappearances in modern history, partly because her younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) is something of an oddball child prodigy, and partly because she lacks self confidence. One day, Charles Wallace greets a mysterious stranger in the family's living room: a weird, colorfully decorated lady named "Mrs. Whatsit" (Reese Witherspoon) who introduces Meg, and Meg's friend Calvin (Levi Miller), to two other equally eccentric but obviously very intelligent and mystical ladies, Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling). They promise Meg and Charles Wallace an opportunity to find their father across the furthest reaches of the universe where amazing things -- and many perils -- await. Little does Meg know what's in store for her, particularly how her journey through space and time will alter her perception of herself and the world around her.

A Wrinkle in Time is an imperfect movie built around the perfect message of hope and belief in oneself, others, and the world. The film opens with a tender scene between father and daughter but pushes very dark -- emotionally to be sure -- for much of the rest of the first and the second acts as Meg journeys to colorful places with amazing individuals but never can shake her own lack of self confidence. The movie can be clumsy in constructing Meg and particularly in exploring her inner demons. For a complex character, she doesn't often leave the shallow end of the developmental pool. Nevertheless, the film does a good job of accentuating the essentials: character qualities, world building, and storytelling, even if it can be a little clumsy in the aggregate, just sort of bouncing from one set piece to the next. Perhaps the film is too ambitious, not only tackling a beloved bit of fantastical literature but aiming for some near impossible hybrid along the lines of Interstellar meets any colorfully fantastic movie one can think of (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for example). There's perhaps too much strain on the movie as it attempts to balance spectacle with intensive introspective character depth.

A Wrinkle in Time can teeter on the precipice of playing like a movie built around talking points, not organic character and narrative construction, but it's so tender and heartfelt -- perhaps, at times, to the detriment of the drama -- that one cannot help but walk away at least appreciating its sincerity of purpose and presentation. The themes are not particularly new. PIXAR famously unfurls similar themes in its pictures, often with more energy, creativity, and narrative and character balance. That said, A Wrinkle in Time is precisely and interestingly shot and is spiritedly performed, with an A-list cast generously populating the film from the top down, a cast nevertheless dominated by the impressive talents of young co-stars Levi Miller and Storm Reid as the adoptive brother-sister tandem. There's an authenticity to the work. Reid is more subtle in her work in building a wounded character and transforming throughout the film, held back more by a sometimes wobbly script and wonky execution than she is her own obviously immense talents. Miller is very impressive as the young boy whose character himself undergoes a radical transformation partway through the film that challenges him to reinvent the character on a dime. Chris Pine is stellar in the role of the missing father whose love for his daughter and family is as boundless as the universe he wishes to travel. The film is supported by visionary effects work and some beautifully loud costumes and makeup work that bring the movie to spunky, spirited life, sometimes, but not always, overwhelming the intimate heart that strains to beat loudest.

A Wrinkle in Time 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

A Wrinkle in Time's UHD disc offers a fairly substantial upgrade over the Blu-ray. Disney's 2160p/HDR-10-enhanced presentation takes the image to new heights with generous improvements across the board. And that's quite an accomplishment considering the Blu-ray's excellence, at least in isolation. The 10-bit HDR color enhancement is the home run feature on the UHD. The increase and saturation, boldness, stability, and intensity are obvious from watching the film after viewing the Blu-ray, but a comparison really shows just how big of a step forward the film on this format takes. The film looks comparatively plain and sometimes even dull and depressed on Blu-ray, contrarily dazzling with a newfound color clarity on UHD. Whether extremely bright sun-drenched green fields and bold blue skies or darker locales where light only peers through and shines on fairly drab objects (Who's house in chapter three), the add to sheer vitality alone makes the upgrade to UHD well worth it. Even as the film was reportedly finished with Dolby Vision coloring, which is not on this disc, the HDR-10 enhancement is a winner that brings an already exquisitely colored movie to startlingly intense, clear, and robust life. The Blu-ray is simply not capable of this level of color accuracy and pop.

The movie was photographed at a resolution of 3.4K. It's necessarily upscaled, but the increase in sharpness and clarity, while not as radical as the coloring, is another boon for the film on UHD. It's not often substantial, but the add in textural definition to elements such as hair, makeup, costumes, skin, and environments -- all of the movie's basics, really -- are appreciable, just not always radical. The added stability and intensity of the coloring certainly helps, but the added resolution also highlights finer visual subtleties while finding a greater overall clarity and sharpness to everything from shot-dominating landscapes to intimate character close-ups. Black levels are stable, and forget about spotting any source or encode artifacts. While this is not the absolute cream of the crop on the UHD format, it's a very strong presentation, particularly for a digitally photographed movie, and it's well worth the upgrade from 1080p.

A Wrinkle in Time 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Wrinkle in Time's UHD disc features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack as opposed to the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless presentation that leads the Blu-ray. While this track suffers from the same low volume-itis as the Blu-ray (though perhaps not quite so low as previous Disney releases), the Atmos track does offer a very good, robust, sometimes near-substantial listen that's a tick or two better than the 7.1 offering. Its primary draw is the increased spacial volume the overhead speakers offer. One of the best points of comparison, as well as one of the best sound moments in the film, comes in chapter seven when large-scale reverberation significantly heightens the listening area and expands on the 7.1 track's ability to open the stage to recreate the very cavernous location and the vocal bounce through it. Various high-energy, large-scale moments present with refined surround implementation and seamless stage traversal. Large maneuverings and sound rushes are followed by haunting, floating, discreetly positioned voices at the 54-minute mark that poke out of the stage from all directions. Low end engagement is not prodigious. Bass kicks in with modest authority at several moments, including a dense action scene at the 58-minute mark, though it's clear there's not quite as much pure depth and punch as the scene would seem to demand. Atmospheric effects are nicely implemented throughout the film, recreating everything from large open fields to school playgrounds with ease. Dialogue is clear and commands the stage with no issues of note.

A Wrinkle in Time 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

A Wrinkle in Time's UHD disc contains no extras, but the bundled Blu-ray offers several, including deleted scenes, a commentary, and a making-of. A Movies Anywhere Digital copy code is included with purchase, though it's worth noting that on the insert where the code should be, there's a big old blank spot. Whether that is bad luck or a widespread problem I cannot say, but I do have a query out and will update this review with any new information. Update 5/29/18: Disney is stating that the missing digital code is due to random error.

• A Journey Through Time (1080p, 30:28): An in-depth look at the story's numerous points of interest, Ava DuVernay's direction, reinventing the book for modern sensibilities, casting and performances, character qualities, costumes and makeup, sets and shooting locations, and more.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 9:36 total runtime): Ant on a String, Aunt Beast, Meg Learns About Calvin's Dad, and Paper Girl. Includes optional Ava DuVernay commentary.
• Audio Commentary: Director Ava DuVernay, First Assistant Director Michael Moore, Visual Effects Supervisor Richard McBride, Screenwriter Jennifer Lee, Producer Jim Whitaker, Film Editor Spencer Averick, and Production Designer Naomi Shohan create a fairly crowded space for a commentary but offer plenty of insight into the movie from a number of different technical perspectives. It covers many of the same essentials as the thirty minute piece above but has plenty of interesting insight into various scenes that give it a more focused breakdown rather than the catchall feature reviewed above. Fans should find this to be an enjoyable track.
• Music Videos (1080p): Included are "I Believe" Performed by DJ Khaled Featuring Demi Lovato (3:46) and "Warrior" Performed by Chloe X Halle (4:02).
• Bloopers (1080p, 1:36).

A Wrinkle in Time 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Wrinkle in Time has come under attack from a number of different fronts. It's an imperfect adaptation and an imperfect movie, but it's also warm and tender and very sincere. Will that be enough to silence naysayers? Maybe not, but take the name away and this becomes a very serviceable, sometimes even very good, film with a good message and a strongly beating heart. Disney's UHD offers a very good upgrade over an impressive Blu-ray, particularly in terms of color depth and vitality but also textural clarity. The Atmos track is fine at the proper volume. All of the Blu-ray's supplements carry over into this package. Recommended to those willing to give it a chance through the noise.