Film

A Wrinkle in Time

Name: A Wrinkle in Time
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction, Family, Fantasy
Released: 2018
Cast: Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller

Ava DuVernay's dazzling adaptation of the beloved sci-fi classic sends a grief-stricken girl across dimensions to rescue her missing physicist father. Visually sumptuous and emotionally earnest, it prioritizes wonder and Black representation over plot mechanics. For families seeking spectacle with heart, and anyone who loved the book's oddball sincerity.

TMDb rating

2.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love fantasy that treats big ideas like a warm, slightly eccentric family road trip, with colourful visuals and a heroine who is stubborn, anxious and worth rooting for.

Skip it if you want sharp, grown-up sci-fi with tight plotting; this is gentle, sincere and often sentimental, and its moral messages land quite directly.

What it asks of you: Around 109 minutes, it moves at a brisk, episodic clip through strange worlds, with little menace and a steady, hopeful tone that rarely lingers on darkness.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The NeverEnding Story1984

A child journeys through a magical realm to save a dying world, blending practical effects, genuine melancholy, and philosophical depth. It shares Wrinkle's commitment to taking children's inner lives seriously.

But The pacing drags in places, and the synthesizer score will either enchant or exhaust you. It's slower than modern family films.

Interstellar2014

Cosmic-scale sci-fi about a parent crossing impossible distances for family, with stunning visuals and genuine emotional stakes. Similar themes of love as a force across space.

But Nearly three hours long and requires real patience with theoretical physics. The dialogue can be dense and exposition-heavy.

Bridge to Terabithia2007

Two children create a magical kingdom to escape hardship, blending grief, imagination, and real stakes. Hits the same emotional register as Wrinkle without the sci-fi framing.

But Slower and quieter than you'd expect—it's genuinely sad. Some find it melancholic rather than adventurous.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from A Wrinkle in Time

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Annihilation2018

Both use cosmic strangeness and dimensional travel as a vehicle for profound family loss, but Annihilation refuses comfort where Wrinkle offers redemption.

A woman enters a strange, shimmering dimensional anomaly to find her missing husband. Like Wrinkle, it's visually rapturous science fiction about grief driving someone into the impossible—but rendered as psychological horror.

But Bleak, cryptic, and structurally unconventional. No clear answers or catharsis; some find it frustrating rather than rewarding.

The Golden Compass2007

A girl in a parallel world fights a mysterious organization searching for her missing friend. Elaborate fantasy world-building and stellar ensemble cast.

But Overwhelmingly complicated plot that sacrifices clarity for scale. The film assumes familiarity with the book.

Journey to the Center of the Earth2008

A teen and his uncle discover a hidden world beneath the Earth's surface, packed with wonder, peril, and stunning CGI landscapes. Pure imaginative escapism.

But The plot is thin and the dialogue occasionally clunky. It trades character depth for visual spectacle.

Journey to the Center of the Earth poster

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief2010

A teenager discovers he's the son of a god and journeys cross-country with allies to prevent war. Combines humor, action, and ensemble chemistry.

But Deviates significantly from the source material and feels uneven. The CGI looks dated even by 2010 standards.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief poster

The Black Stallion1979

A boy and a wild horse form an unbreakable bond after being shipwrecked. Gorgeously shot adventure about connection and trust that works for all ages.

But Quiet and deliberately paced, with minimal dialogue. Children expecting action may find it slow.

Race to Witch Mountain2009

A taxi driver helps two gifted siblings flee government agents searching for them. Fast-paced family adventure with heart and genuine stakes for the kids.

But Fairly generic plot that borrows from better films. It's serviceable but rarely surprising.

A Little Life2023

Both explore how children process extraordinary inner worlds; Wrinkle externalizes that world as magic, while this internalizes it as memory and psychology.

A four-part BBC adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel about childhood friendship and memory. Deliberately quiet and introspective, it captures the interior richness that Wrinkle reaches for.

But Spare, slow, and emotionally demanding. Almost no plot. Requires patience and will feel nothing like an adventure.

The Tale2018

Both center girlhood as a space where reality fractures, but Wrinkle asks us to trust in magic while this asks us to confront why we don't.

A documentary-style film where the filmmaker confronts her childhood trauma through re-enactment and memory. Like Wrinkle, it's about a young girl grappling with reality and what's true, but deployed toward difficult truth-telling rather than wonder.

But Deeply uncomfortable subject matter (child abuse). Experimental structure that blurs documentary and drama—some find it exploitative rather than healing.