Movie Review: Jinn

Before last week I had never heard of this movie. Now, having seen the film, I can only wish it had found a way to bypass my eyes. Jinn is not a good movie, at least by cinematic standards. It would likely have played fine had it been a SyFy Original. As it stands, this is a movie rife with spotty effects, poor acting, bad dialogue, and no genuine need for involvement. It is a movie I do not wish to spend a lot of time on, but wanted to at least share a few words on it.



The movie tells the story of three beings created at the dawn of time, humans, angels, and jinn. They say the Jinn were created with free will and ruled the Earth for a long time before man became the dominant species. The Jinn had since gone into hiding, but there was a sect that vowed to return and take back the world for themselves. It is a story that seeks to combine elements of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths, evidenced by a logo combining a cross, a Star of David, and the crescent/star symbols into one piece.

It starts in 1901 in India and we watch as a man faces off with a particularly nasty creature, a Jinn with bad intentions. As the battle nears conclusion the Jinn tells the man that he will return and kill of each new member of his bloodline. Sounds like a pretty mean thing to do, but if you think about it for a moment, wouldn't he only need to do this once? No matter, the scene quickly shifts to the present day.

Shawn (Dominic Rains) and his wife, Jasmine (Serinda Swan from the laughable Creature), are having a nice evening at home, although we learn that she cannot cook dinner without burning it. Another revelation tells us she is unable to have children and would understand if Shawn wants to leave for another woman. This leads to a fight and he leaves. Oh yes, he also gets a mysterious videocassette which contains a video of his father, who he never knew, telling him that he will need to fight for his life.

What follows is a whirlwind of attacking creatures, car chases, and no explanations worth talking about. Shawn meets a guy played by Ray Park (Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, X2) and priest played by William Atherton (Ghostbusters, Die Hard). We also get plenty of shots of a car designed by the director called the Firebreather, you get so much of this thing that you may be convinced it is an extended car commercial.

There is nothing special here. There is standard mysterious prophecies, talk of a Chosen One, demons with ill intent, magical powers, special daggers, and a lack of character and personality. It is like a supernatural soap opera. The only thing worth watching is this hilarious bit of martial arts with Ray Park battling some demons in slow motion with swirly lights and things, interrupted by a telepathic search for car keys.

Simply put, Jinn is terrible on all accounts. There really is nothing of value to watch for. It is not quite as terrible as The Room, but I found myself flashing back to that movie more than a few times. It is probably very likely that you have not heard of this. You are better off for it.

Not Recommended.