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Shifting to a new place can be overwhelming since it is a different setting. This dimension is explored in the latest horror film ‘The Djinn’, which tells the tale of an evil genie haunting a mute young boy and is one of the most spine-chilling aspects of it. Although the premise itself leaves much to be desired, there is still some entertainment in the movie. The Djinn is a genre experiment where most of the action takes place inside a suburban home in 1989. The ‘fanatical’ spirit was entangled with ‘The Book of Shadows’ and is conjured by Dylan, a mute who becomes engaged in battle with the house spirit when his father abandons him. Michael, his single dad, is the one who leaves him at home.
Now, the spirit more or less embodies Dyan’s motherly trauma. Do you believe mom would still be here if I were normal? He never seems to be invoked properly and is merely a representation of all the wounds. Nothing wrong can be said about him, but the person who created The Djinn had no intention of building a relationship with the home that inspired him in the first place.
At least in part, Dylan’s new home’s unsettling history strikes a chord with him. Early on, he says to Michael Did the man who lived here die here? It is also worth mentioning that Michael leaves behind newspapers that have questionable headlines, such as Night of Terror. Similarly, the air conditioner in the central unit makes a noise that is scarily reminiscent of the basement furnace in “Home Alone.” It is also worth mentioning that not every plot point is of equal significance.
Sadly, the mood-setting parts of the flick set it up for success, but the rest of the movie falls short. After all, once Dylan blind summons the genie, “The Djinn” shifts from a conflict-based plot to rather avoiding a child’s worst nightmares. Co-writer, director, and producer David Charbonier and Justin Powell’s lack of understanding towards Dylan has led them to portray him as a naive goat whose reckless decisions are impossible to reverse. It wouldn’t be too crazy if “The Djinn” hopped from one over-the-top scene to the next, but instead, it is a dull chase movie set in the confines of a new, dark house. More often than one would hope, plodding takes over. And unlike chronic plodding, this movie suffers from chronic sprinting. (In the press notes, Powell’s job in the movie is marked as editor, which is odd.)
More important is that nothing seems to stick to Dylan. Veteran Dee sent us a statement saying, “Dewey isn’t nearly skilled enough to express emotion through just his body language and facial impressions in order to keep a whole film together. Not currently anyway.
In his role as Dylan, he frets throughout the whole movie while trying to catch his breath and wondering in what part of the world and how the genie will appear next. And while Charbonier and Powell seem to have problem solving as their number three priority, it’s good to know that Dylan’s problems are not that complicated. He does have a few gonzo hero moments, like when Dewey attempts to clean up his bathroom and abuse any tools he might find there. However, this particular scene is so unreasonably drawn out and badly executed that this embarrassing oversight left Dewey himself with only one memorable action to undertake.
The movie ‘The Djinn’ is not very compelling since it lacks character details or special effects, which make it worthwhile to watch. Wondering why the font of Book of Shadows looks like it was designed by someone working on a tight deadline? I was too. Did you also notice how boring the text in the book was? Even the most boring tile game out there is better than the uninspired. But beware the Djinn’s toll, for the gift that you seek may cost your soul and the artifacts required clock, candle, mirror quotes. There is so much focus on building a monster’s character and not enough on the character itself. Characters are reduced down to something as basic as, although immortal, the Djinn is susceptible to the laws of men while in the mortal realm, able to regenerate only upon return to its world. It may only be banished if the flame is extinguished after the stroke of midnight. While this would work as a plot point for an indie horror, it is utterly devoid of creativity. The Djinn had such potential, but the filmmakers lacked attention to detail.
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