THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING

One of the most indulgent director's follies to reach movie theatres in recent times, the picture is gorgeous to look at but an almighty bore.

It would be a cheap joke to say Three Thousand Years of Longing feels like an awfully long time to sit through a screening and yet that conveys exactly my sentiment about the movie.

One of the most indulgent director's follies to reach movie theatres in recent times the picture is gorgeous to look at but an almighty bore at the same time. The picture sees djinn Idris Elba and linguist Tilda Swinton wax philosophically about life and love, interrupted by flashbacks to the djinn's previous adventures that mostly amount to lavish sets, eye-popping CGI sequences and not a single ounce of actual emotion.

The movie picks up a glimmer of a heartbeat when the action moves from Instanbul to London and director George Miller introduces mortality and the perils of modern life into the equation but it's not nearly enough to save Three Thousand Years of Longing.

I'm sure some will love the movie idiosyncratic, uncompromising approach, but it left me stone cold.

release: 2022

director: George Miller

starring: Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton, Sarah Houbolt, Aamito Lagum