“Three Thousand Years of Longing” Review
(From Left) Alithea (Tilda Swinton) listens to the tale of the Djinn (Idris Elba) as he explains just how using three wishes can go right and how they can go terribly wrong.
Most will know George Miller as the incredible mind who gave us the ongoing “Mad Max” series and, while those films are masterpieces of action cinema, Miller has frequently broken type in his career. Among the films he’s been involved in are “The Witches of Eastwick” (director), “Babe” (producer/writer), “Babe: Pig in the City” (director/writer) and both “Happy Feet” films (director/writer). With such an incredible and diverse filmography, it was difficult to gauge just what kind of film “Three Thousand Years of Longing” was going to be. However, this film has all of the insanity and brilliance you’d expect from a George Miller film as well as a great sense of story, heart and intelligence.
Set in Istanbul, Alithea (Tilda Swinton) is a literary scholar who specializes in mythology and its use to explain scientific phenomena. While at a conference where she states that, as science continues to grow, more of these stories will become obsolete, she encounters a strange bottle. When she opens it in her hotel room, she releases an ancient Djinn (Idris Elba), also known as a genie, who tells her that she can make three wishes. However, as someone who studies literature, Alithea knows that any tale involving wishing is a cautionary one and refuses to wish for anything. So, to convince her what she should wish for, the Djinn tells her tales of his incredible past.
What is so marvelous about “Three Thousand Years of Longing” is just how seriously it takes itself. While there is insane and weirdly wonderful imagery, the film is actually a philosophical one as these two great minds express themselves to one another. The concept of someone explaining their life story inside of a hotel room may seem dull but there is much entertainment to be found since it’s a Djinn who is relaying these stories of wishing, murder, debauchery, hope, knowledge and morals.
Idris Elba commands every scene he’s in with a captivating performance which is among his best. I keep hearing that Idris Elba is one actor being strongly favored to play the next James Bond and if you were to ignore the rest of his great filmography and just focus solely on this film, he should be signed to play 007 for at least five films. Between his powerful vocals and immense physicality, Elba takes this myth and believably brings it down to Earth.
But his godlike powers are evenly matched by the knowledge and suspicion of Alithea with Tilda Swinton still bringing her best to this role. Swinton is no stranger to fantasy having played the White Witch in “The Chronicles of Narnia” and The Ancient One in “Doctor Strange” but here she’s taking on this genie in a battle of wits as she wants nothing to do with magic and the irreparable damage it can bring. The conversations she and Idris Elba have are remarkable with Swinton being a master of dialogue.
George Miller has made his living delivering fast-paced thrills and he’s incredibly good at it. Here, Miller has decided to take a more intricate approach with more focus on conversation. But if you do love Miller’s insane style of directing, it’s all over the place here. The visuals are gorgeous and attention consuming (even the repelling ones) and John Seale’s cinematography makes this one of the best looking films of the year.
“Three Thousand Years of Longing’s” slow pacing also makes for a fantasy film that does something a fantasy film doesn’t always have time for: questioning itself and evolving the mythos of a beloved tale even further. The discussions between the Djinn and Alithea reminded me of some of the most captivating moments in any fantasy film like the Opera House scene in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, The Tale of the Three Brothers in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” or The Tale of the Dread Pirate Roberts in “The Princess Bride.” They’re not just good stories, they evolve the world by giving a world of myth its own myths.
While “Three Thousand Years of Longing” may be set in our world, it has all of the feelings and beauty of a fantasy which is how everyone should approach it. While the film’s slow pacing starts to weigh the film down in its third act, it’s still captivating until the very end. If you’re looking for a more subdued but imaginative film to end the summer season, this may be what you’ve been wishing for.
