Adapted from Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel, 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time introduces us to Meg Murry (Storm Reid), an adolescent who struggles to deal with life after the mysterious disappearance of her father, physicist Alex Murry (Chris Pine).

One theory claims he got transported to another dimension, and this gains credence when a stranger named Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) shows up and Meg finds out that interdimensional travel exists. Along with her brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) and classmate Calvin O'Keefe (Levi Miller), Meg journeys to find her father.

The novel of Time came out all the way back in 1962, so it already existed as a popular book with kids when I went to school in the 1970s and 1980s. I never read it, though, so I entered the movie version as a veritable L’Engle blank slate.

This means I came to the film without any kind of baggage or temptation to judge it compared to old memories of the source. Whatever I might think of Time, my reactions wouldn’t reflect my feelings toward the novel.

I saw the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies in a similar state, and those experiences made me curious to read the books. I can’t claim the same for Time, as this slow, dull film leaves me with no curiosity to spend more time in its universe.

In the publicity campaign for Time, Disney touted Ava DuVernay as the film’s “visionary director”, a claim that raised eyebrows. DuVernay has worked in movies since the late 1990s, but Time represents only her fourth non-documentary effort as director.

Notably, Time acts as DuVernay’s first stab at fantasy. 2014’s Selma stands as her best-known effort, though DuVernay also received excellent reviews for her 2017 documentary 13th.

I wasn’t wild about Selma, and unfortunately, many of its flaws dog Time as well. Primarily, DuVernay seems to find it difficult to tell a coherent story, as – like Selma - Time comes across like a long-form tale chopped down to much shorter length.

Because of this, we encounter choppy narrative flow and a lack of general coherence. The plot flits and flops without the necessary clarity, partly due to its apparent focus on visuals over drama.

To be sure, Time offers a film with an appealing look, one that brings the various fantasy settings to life in a vivid manner. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of the characters and story, as they get the short shrift in this thin, unemotional tale.

Not that DuVernay doesn’t try desperately to pull heartstrings. As was the case with Selma, DuVernay telegraphs emotions and begs the viewer to feel this way or that.

This backfires, as the forced sentiment seems contrived and oppressive. Time never manages a natural tone that allows us to embrace the story and characters in their own right, so we’re left at arm’s length.

Despite a cast packed with “name” actors, we find surprisingly iffy performances in Time. Reid comes across as flat and without much personality, whereas McCabe embodies the precocious “Hollywood kid” whose broad emoting makes him a persistent irritant.

The more accomplished adults fare little better. They’re left to attempt to carry the plot points and inspire awe, but they can’t achieve either in a satisfying manner.

Between its surprising lack of heart and its erratic storytelling, Time becomes a chore to watch. It seems long on attempts at magic and short on actual inspiration.

A Wrinkle in Time appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a strong presentation.

Overall definition looked positive. Only the slightest sliver of softness occurred, so this was almost always a tight, concise image.

No issues with jaggies or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws.

When I examined the film’s palette, I saw some of the standard teal and orange, but Time came with more variety than usual. These tones looked fine, as the image brought them out in an appropriate manner, and the elements could be pretty lively.

Blacks were dark and deep, and low-light shots displayed nice delineation. The movie offered the expected high-quality visual presentation.

Time came with a solid DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack that opened up the movie’s action scenes in a lively manner. Various fantasy elements swarmed around the room and created a compelling, involving sense of the material.

Quieter sequences worked fine as well. These used the different channels to place in various situations with smoothness and aplomb. Music also provided nice stereo imaging.

Audio quality seemed strong. Effects appeared full and dynamic, with positive low-end response.

Music was bold and rich, while speech seemed natural and concise. The soundtrack added zest to the film.

When we shift to extras, we open with an audio commentary from director Ava DuVernay, producer Jim Whitaker, co-writer Jennifer Lee, production designer Naomi Shohan, 1st AD Michael Moore, editor Spencer Averick and VFX supervisor Rich McBride. All of them sit together for a running, screen-specific look at the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, editing, stunts and effects, visual design, cinematography and costumes/makeup.

DuVernay acts as ringleader and she dominates the track, but she ensures that everyone else gets involved as well. She asks questions of the others and brings them into the discussion in a satisfying manner. With DuVernay at the helm, this becomes an involving, informative piece.

Called A Journey Through Time, a 30-minute, 28-second featurette involves DuVernay, Whitaker, Lee, Shohan, producer Catherine Hand, costume designer Paco Delgado, hair department head/hair designer Kim Kimble, makeup department head/makeup designer Lalette Littlejohn, and actors Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Pine, Storm Reid, Deric McCabe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Levi Miller, and Reese Witherspoon.

“Journey” looks at DuVernay’s impact on the production, cast and performances, hair, makeup and costumes, sets, locations and visual design. Though we get way too much praise and happy talk, “Journey” comes with enough insight to merit a look.

Four Deleted Scenes fill a total of nine minutes, 36 seconds. We find “Ant on a String” (1:57), “Aunt Beast” (3:59), “Meg Learns About Calvin’s Dad” (1:30) and “Paper Girl” (2:40).

Of these, “Beast” offers the most interesting component, but I can’t claim any of them seem all that fascinating. We get a bit more character material and exposition without much of real narrative value.

We can watch the scenes with or without commentary from DuVernay. She gives us notes but doesn’t let us know why she cut the sequences. That makes her remarks a disappointment, as I’d like to know why she omitted them from the final flick.

Under Original Songs Music Videos, we find two clips: “I Believe” by DJ Khaled Featuring Demi Lovato and “Warrior” performed by Chloe X Halle. “I Believe” seems wholly uninspiring both as song and video, but “Warrior” proves more interesting in both domains.

A collection of Bloopers goes for one minute, 36 seconds. It delivers pretty standard stuff.

The disc opens with an ad for Incredibles II. No trailer for Time appears here.

A second disc offers a DVD copy of Time. It includes the music videos but lacks the other extras.

Fans of the classic novel seem likely to encounter disappointment with the film adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. The movie fails to bring out the needed charm, emotion and fantasy grandeur, so it winds up as a forgettable mess. The Blu-ray offers very good picture and audio as well as a useful compilation of bonus materials. Well-meaning but flawed, Time doesn’t work.