A Wrinkle in Time
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: March 9, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 52 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
30
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Total FilmKevin HarleyMar 26, 2018
Reid’s a fine lead, but DuVernay’s usually firm footing wobbles in the CGI clouds of Disney fantasy. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyMar 21, 2018
The film’s messaging, heavy-handed as it can be, has some firework moments that might really spark the imagination. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfMar 9, 2018
No Hollywood film can ever solve the central problem of adapting this book, in that it inevitably does too much of the imagining for you. DuVernay makes a big-hearted go of it, even if she seems slightly dazzled by her own magical mystery tour. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'HaraMar 8, 2018
This spectacular adventure sometimes wanders across the borders of invention into artificiality, but finds its feet when it focuses in on its characters and their relationships. Read full review
60
SlateAisha HarrisMar 7, 2018
For all of Wrinkle’s unevenness, DuVernay still manages to draw out some glimpses of more intimate beauty, the kind that one expects from the filmmaker. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 9, 2018
What follows is a phantasmagoria that is more cheesy than transporting. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichMar 7, 2018
It almost doesn’t matter that the movie is too emotionally prescriptive to have any real power, or too high on imagination to leave any room for wonder; DuVernay evinces such faith in who she is and what she’s doing that “A Wrinkle in Time” remains true to itself even when everything on screen reads false. Read full review
50
We Got This CoveredLuke Parker Mar 10, 2018
Trying to juggle complex theories of metaphysics and cosmology with simple themes of self-acceptance and the deterioration of the “darkness,” A Wrinkle in Time comes off as a disjointed and miscalculated project, rather than a visual and contemplative journey. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorMar 8, 2018
This pretty movie feels convenient rather than meaningful. Read full review
50
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonMar 8, 2018
It’s hard to understand what went wrong — the cast couldn’t be more appealing, and the film is bursting with special effects. But as an emotionally satisfying experience, it’s a bust. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartMar 8, 2018
Too often content to smile beatifically instead of delivering the necessary thrills. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJocelyn NoveckMar 7, 2018
It’s also all over the map, in every way possible. It’s visually gorgeous at times but then boring to behold at others, emotionally poignant at times but stunningly cloying at others. It’s also confusing (though to be fair, many might call the book confusing, too.) Mostly, it’s just a frustrating whole comprised of some pretty promising parts. Read full review
50
VoxAlissa WilkinsonMar 7, 2018
For as much as DuVernay’s film is a lovely and good-hearted movie that delivers lots of eye-popping, imaginative awe, its status as an adaptation necessarily raises the question: Was A Wrinkle in Time the right source material through which to tell this story? Read full review
50
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 7, 2018
There are moments of real power and beauty in Ava DuVernay’s film, based on the much-loved Madeleine L’Engle novel. You just have to work too hard to find them. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMar 7, 2018
It’s conscientious. It’s watchable, and it’s never less than competent. But it seems to strive so hard to be inspirational, rather than letting the inspiration come through the story, that it becomes preachy and self-conscious. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 7, 2018
Movie magic is an elusive thing. A Wrinkle in Time is a bold film that takes big chances from start to finish, in a courageous effort to be something special.... But for all its scenes of characters flying and soaring and zooming here and there, it never really takes off. Read full review
50
The PlaylistWill AshtonMar 7, 2018
Despite its strong performances, notably from Reid, Pine, and Witherspoon, its wide collection of marvels and it’s joyful sense of self, A Wrinkle in Time crumbles under expectations. But it’s not so much a failure as it’s a flawed do-gooder that could make our world better. It doesn’t dazzle like the stars and it doesn’t transport us away, but it still offers hope. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Mar 7, 2018
Director Ava DuVernay’s version of the beloved children’s classic has a big cast and the best of intentions. It’s socially progressive, racially diverse and packed with positive messages. It’s just not much fun. Read full review
50
USA TodayBrian TruittMar 7, 2018
L'Engle's source material is a sneakily deep novel for youngsters, and Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell's screenplay doesn't do nearly enough with those themes of death, loss and parents letting their children down. Instead, theirs is a patchwork adaptation with weak character development, a lack of narrative groove and a haphazard finish. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyDarren FranichMar 7, 2018
A Wrinkle in Time hits that unfortunate un-sweet spot common to big-budget science-fiction/fantasy, where the spectacle feels more summarized than experienced. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJake ColeMar 7, 2018
The film may involve the instant movement among unfathomable distances and the shattered limits of space and time, but it’s only Storm Reid's character who feels multidimensional. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 7, 2018
A Wrinkle in Time is wildly uneven, weirdly suspenseless, and tonally all over the place, relying on wall-to-wall music to supply the missing emotional connection and trowel over huge plot holes. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyMar 7, 2018
Only the faintest glimmers of genuine, earned emotion pierce through the layers of intense calculation that encumber Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time. Read full review
42
Paste MagazineWill LeitchMar 9, 2018
There are movies that fail because they are misguided, or because their heart isn’t in the right place. This movie wants to be special, which makes the fact it is such a lumpy, clumsy mess all the more frustrating. You root for this movie, and the movie tries to go a long way on that good will. It doesn’t make it far. Read full review
42
The VergeTasha RobinsonMar 9, 2018
It’s a pretty take on the story, but it’s also a frustratingly safe and squishy one. It’s infinitely well-intentioned, full of warm self-affirmation and positivity, and absolutely nothing about it feels emotionally authentic enough to drive those messages home. Read full review
42
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMar 7, 2018
DuVernay finds herself in the unenviable position of being both the right and wrong person for an important job. A Wrinkle in Time is gratifying for what it is, a step forward for creative women of color, and so disappointing for what it turns out to be. Read full review
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinMar 8, 2018
A Wrinkle in Time, was strong enough to carry me through the film’s first, wobbly 15 minutes — but not a lot further. Read full review
40
Vanity FairRichard LawsonMar 8, 2018
DuVernay can’t seem to settle on a consistent visual or narrative cadence. Her camera is all over the place, hurtling in for woozy close-ups and then rearing back to reveal what is meant to be vast splendor but is often just bland C.G.I. prettiness. Read full review
40
ScreenCrushMatt SingerMar 7, 2018
It’s honestly a little baffling how so many good choices could produce something so frustrating. Read full review
40
The GuardianAmy NicholsonMar 7, 2018
The film is tentative and over-protective, as though it’s terrified that a story empowering kids to help good battle evil could give someone a nightmare. It reduces the whole universe to one girl’s self-esteem. Read full review
More From This Movie

53 Critic Reviews

2.9 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL