Three Thousand Years of Longing is not what the trailer promises, but it is still a visually stunning journey through the heartbreaking life of a Djinn.
For those who believe in magic, you are in for a treat when it comes to Three Thousand Years of Longing. Infused with mystical elements, this movie heavily focuses on what truths lie inside of fairytales. That being said, Three Thousand Years of Longing isn’t exactly what the trailers promised. Where most viewers will be expecting a tale covering the adventures and journey of the two main characters, this is instead a story focusing mostly on The Djinn (Idris Elba). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does come as a bit of a shock.
When Alithea (Tilda Swinton) is away for a conference, she discovers a forgotten bottle that is damaged and broken. While cleaning it she accidentally unleashes a Djinn who tells her that she has three wishes. Instead of playing out their future, the past is explored as The Djinn explains how he came to be trapped in that bottle, and encourages her to please wish lest he be trapped for centuries to come.
As The Djinn’s stories are told, it becomes evident that this is a film split into sections. It is essentially several short stories within a story — twists on tales that many have already heard, with characters that are familiar to viewers. As a movie that is based off of a collection of short stories, this makes sense. However if this fact is known by the audience before sitting down to watch, it will likely play out in a more cohesive way from the start.
While the individual stories all tie into one another, and help to break up the film in general, they each go on a bit too long, causing the movie to drag — especially towards the end. By the time things switch gears toward the end, many viewers will unfortunately have lost interest in Alithea.
The Djinn is at the forefront of the film, and while it is easy to connect with him and feel bad for him (he tells one heartbreaking tale after another), his relationship with Alithea feels forced and unbelievable. It is hard to explain exactly why without spoilers, but it is even addressed directly in the film itself.
That said, both Elba and Swinton do an incredible job with what they are given. The script has a few issues here and there, but overall it tells the necessary story in a way that is relatable and entertaining.
Three Thousand Years of Longing is very much a George Miller movie through and through. With many shots that scream out his name, it is obvious he is the one behind the camera of this visually stunning film.
The biggest issue with this movie is just how different it is than expected. There is not enough connection between the two main characters, which makes the ending feel less emotional than it should be. It is hard to be invested in them and their relationship, so when the third act hits, it just doesn’t mean anything. Still, there is enough here to be intriguing, at the very least.
Rating: 3 out of 5
NEXT: Spin Me Round Review
About Three Thousand Years of Longing
While attending a conference in Istanbul, Dr. Alithea Binnie happens to encounter a djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. This presents two problems: first, she doubts that he’s real, and second, because she’s a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong.
The djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she’s beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.
Three Thousand Years of Longing hits theaters on August 26th.
