Review: The Djinn

Director: David Charbonier and Justin Powell

Screenplay: David Charbonier and Justin Powell

Year: 2021

Dylan is a mute boy that moves to a new apartment with his father after his mother’s passing. In the apartment, Dylan finds an old book with instructions for a ritual for asking for wishes. Dylan doesn’t know that for his wish to come true, he must survive an hour in the apartment against a powerful mythical creature.

I was very keen on watching this movie, as I am fascinated by the whole djinn myth. This taste dates back to specifically 1997 when “Wishmaster” was released, a movie that frightened me, as well as making me develop a liking for these creatures. Through the years, there have been many horror movies about djinns, but this one particularly caught my attention. Unluckily for me, it was a let-down.

Let’s start with the good stuff. Most of the film develops around the protagonist Dylan, a mute 12-year old boy, and the djinn. This means that we mainly see Ezra Dewey (“Everything Before Us”) on screen, who gives life to Dylan’s character and gives a phenomenal performance, especially for someone his age. Without a doubt, his acting makes it all a little more credible and that we care about the well-being of the protagonist.

For taking place in such a small space as in an apartment, the director and writer couple of David Charbonier and Justin Powell (“The Boy Behind The Door”) do an excellent job of opening up the place with different camera tricks and offering interesting shots and cinematography. Considering that the characters that spend the most time on screen, one is mute and the other a mythical creature, dialogues are almost non-existent, compensated with an awesome ‘80s style soundtrack and great sound design.

Where “The Djinn” crumbles down is in the story. The idea that a kid could survive locked in an apartment with a powerful creature is completely absurd unless, of course, the kid is the protagonist of “Home Alone” or “Becky”, which Dylan isn’t. Here is where the inconsistencies of the script begin but don’t end. For example, one of the djinn’s qualities is that it can take the physical form of different dead people, and one of his iterations is in the form of an adult man, who is unable to open a door whose only obstacle is the strength of a 12-year old that holds it on the other side. I could keep writing more lines with other examples, but I think you got the idea.

“The Djinn” presents itself with an interesting concept and impressive technical details, but it is immensely affected by the awful script. The plot is simply incoherent and has too many plot holes and dumb decisions that show up because of the eagerness to move the story in one direction no matter what. The horror is effective for a younger audience, but genre veterans will be left wanting more.