15 most memorable and overlooked films of 2018

A Wrinkle in Time

It might seem controversial to say, but I thoroughly enjoyed Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s novel. I enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time when I watched in theaters back in March, and I enjoyed it just as much when I revisited it on DVD.

The story of Meg Murray (Storm Reid) trying to find her missing scientist father was always going to be a tough sell. It’s a dense children’s book that lives between the intersection of science fiction and fantasy. Many female critics who watched it (myself included) praised it as the Disney Channel Original Movie they wished they had as a kid. The movie isn’t flawless, but for little girls who want to see a heroine who’s praised for her intelligence in a landscape where smart girls are considered weird….that’s pretty amazing.

The movie is evocatively filmed by DuVernay, who creates a story akin to The Never-Ending Story, with Meg coming up against an existential threat called Camazotz. Her relationship with her father draws the narrative, but at a certain point the movie touches on the fact that men, even fathers, aren’t flawless human beings (and this was a year where men….sorry, but you all didn’t come out smelling like roses).

Oprah, Mindy Kaling, and Reese Witherspoon are the perfect fairy godmothers to lead things, and in the end I was just left emotional, watching a movie about a smart girl being smart. My inner eight-year-old was so blessed.