As an American Muslim of Pakistani descent, I’m no stranger to stories of jinn (beings made of fire, unseen by humans unless they choose to show themselves) and am always on the lookout for new ones. A good jinn story sends chills down the spine. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t even come close. I’ve had my eye on Jinn since before it released in 2014, and it turns out I didn’t miss out on much.

Jinn fails to live up to its potential by trying to be too many things at once. The film is full of clichés, including an intergenerational curse, a reluctant protagonist prophesized as humanity’s last hope, and a previously unheard of relative living in some kind of creepy old-fashioned mental health facility.

The music is ominous, but not particularly impactful. The special effects are simple, but apt for the basic plot. The acting is wooden, for the most part. Faran Tahir as Ali (the “crazy uncle” of the protagonist) tries his best and plays his role with conviction, but could only do so much with the weak script. Dominic Rains (playing protagonist Shawn Walker) looks good on screen but struggles to emote. 

dominic rains as shawn in Jinn

From the get-go, the movie is not scary at all, but still somewhat interesting. Unfortunately, any interest ebbs halfway through as the movie only becomes less convincing with each cliché. There is a fight sequence involving magic that is overly long, slow, and painfully convenient, with a sample of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s music that didn’t fit with the tone or pace of the scene.

There is also misplaced focus on the protagonist’s specially-designed car, named the “Firebreather” for unclear reasons. This scene is particularly jarring in the film, like the actual plot was just fluff and the director’s main purpose was to highlight the fancy car. Speaking of fire, the jinn themselves look more like shiny extraterrestrials than the frightening, incredibly powerful beings they’re supposed to be. We hear throughout the film that Shawn, the prophesied one, is going to have the fight of his life to defeat the jinn, yet the climax is wrapped up all too quickly and easily. The so-called “Shayateen” hardly put up a fight at all!

The car Firebreather in the movie Jinn

Granted, the experience was not all bad. The film’s introduction does a decent job leading into the premise: among the jinn, there are some called the “Shayateen” (evil spirits), they were in this world before humans, and they want it back. I also appreciated the movie’s not-so-subtle message of interfaith unity, featuring holy symbols from all three Abrahamic religions.

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Ultimately, Jinn’s problem is that it tries too hard to be too many things at once and fails at all of them: fantasy, horror, possibly an homage to South Asian culture? While I wouldn’t recommend watching Jinn if you have something better to do, it may be an okay choice for running in the background while you do more productive things – like homework, chores, literally anything else. Although, if the idea of a third race of beings made of fire intrigues you, you’re better off searching for folklore and people’s real-life experiences (so they say) with jinn via a quick Google search.

the 2014 poster for the film jinn

 

 

 

Sara Beg
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