A magical journey with a bumpy landing
Film critic Jason Evans has made it his mission to tell you
everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to close
your eyes and make a wish. His reviews are exactly 100 words long (99 is too
few and 101 is just decadent). Here is his 100-word review of Three Thousand
Years of Longing.
The Premise: From the mind of George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) comes this unique take on the genie in the lamp. Alithea (Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton) is an academic who studies stories and literature. She has no family and is content leading a solitary life. She really does not want for anything. She finds an old-looking bottle at a market in Istanbul. When she opens it out pops a genie or Djinn (Golden Globe and SAG winner Idris Elba). The Djinn tells Alithea he will grant her three wishes, but all Alithea wants is to hear the stories of how the Djinn got trapped in the bottle in the first place.
The 100 Words: This is like watching a master class on cinematography, set design, and camera movement. Miller is on his game and Longing will be on the short list for technical awards this year. I just wish it had a story to match the visuals. The tales of the Djinn’s past masters are compelling, but the film really goes off the rails in the final third. The resolution of Alithea’s three wishes is dull and confusing. The script requires Swinton to undergo some character changes that didn’t really work either. Still, it is entertaining and certainly worth seeing on a big screen.
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