Ever since the first trailer for “A Wrinkle In Time” debut, there’s been a feverish pitch of excitement for this film.
Many of you sci-fi nerds probably had your first exposure to this fantasy genre through Madeleine L’Engle’s classic 1962 novel. “A Wrinkle In Time” centres on 13-year-old Meg, who travels across dimensions in search of her father, after he mysteriously went missing.
“(The movie is) about knowing that you’re going to go through dark spaces in your life. You’re not going to be perfect, but the most important thing is not trying to please anybody. It’s loving yourself inside out,” said Storm Reid (who plays Meg in the film).
“My overall vision for the film is to create with a fantastic team of artists and craftspeople something visually stunning, something that reverberates within you when you see it, something that sticks to your ribs,” revealed director Ava DuVernay. The critically-acclaimed filmmaker made history when she became the first woman of colour in history to be given a US$100 million budget.
Featuring a stellar cast that comprises of Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Pine, we thought it’d be fun to get in depth with the colourful characters in “A Wrinkle In Time”.
1. Chris Pine as Dr. Alex Murry
Meg’s father, Dr. Alex, is a physicist, researching the mysteries of the space/time continuum, specifically five-dimensional means of travel between planets. He only enters the story three quarters through the novel. Before that, Mr. Murry only existed in Meg’s childhood memories.
2. Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Dr. Kate Murry
Dr. Kate Murry is a microbiologist. Known for her physical attractiveness, academic and scientific accomplishments, Meg always had a bit of inferiority complex towards her mum – half in loving admiration, half in sullen resentment.
3. Storm Reid as Meg Murry
Newcomer Storm Reid stars as middle school student Meg, who struggles with issues of self-worth and has trouble fitting in. As the daughter of two world-renowned physicists, she is both intelligent and uniquely gifted, but she hasn’t realise it yet. During her journey in search of her father, Meg will be introduced to three celestial guides. They are Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which. With the ability to travel at will across large stretches of time and space, these immortals can change forms at will.
4. Reese Witherspoon as Mrs. Whatsit
Mrs. Whatsit was first discovered by Meg’s brother Charles Wallace in the woods. As the youngest of the Mrs Ws, Mrs. Whatsit is known to be the most humanlike and best at interacting with the children. In the book, the kids were able to witness Mrs. Whatsit transform into a centaur-like winged being on the planet Uriel.
5. Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who
Out of the trio, Mrs. Who always seems to be the most vague. That’s because everything she says is a quotation from somewhere else. She communicates in Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese and Greek, notably quoting William Shakespeare, Pascal, Dante, Seneca, A. Perez, Horace, Cervantes, Delille, Euripides, the Bible and Goethe. According to Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who has trouble verbalising in her own words.
6. Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which
As the leader of the three beings, Mrs. Which is the wisest and most powerful of the three Mrs. Ws. Although Mrs. Which is not immediately as friendly as Mrs. Whatsit, she cares deeply about fighting the good fight. Thanks to her vast knowledge in tesseract travel, Mrs. Which is usually the one who assist the group, especially Meg, by giving problem-solving clues during their travels.
7. Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace Murry
Even though Charles Wallace is the youngest of four Murry siblings, this prodigy is the most gifted. At five years old, Charles Wallace talks like a professor and thinks like a psychic and a physicist. The young genius also possesses the ability to empathically or telepathically “read” certain people’s thoughts and feelings.
8. Levi Miller as Calvin O’Keefe
As a tall and thin 14-year-old high school junior, Calvin O’Keefe is one of the popular boys. Despite being well-accepted in public, his own family neglects him. When he befriends Meg, he soon assumes the role of her protector during their journey together. Just like Charles Wallace, Calvin is also able to communicate telepathically – a technique referred to as kything.
9. Michael Pena as The Man with Red Eyes
The Man with Red Eyes is a being with piercing crimson eyes and appears human. As the Prime Coordinator on Camazotz, he is part of the evil that holds Dr. Alex Murry hostage. He explains that IT (a bodiless telepathic brain) communicates through him.
Enjoy the trailer:
“A Wrinkle In Time” debuts in local cinemas on 8th March 2018.
Sources: Hollywood Reporter, Shmoop, Wikipedia.
