Djinns

A mate of mine often passes me films that fit in a certain theme, and his favorite theme is the so-called "send in the military cannon fodder" flicks. These are horror/Sci-Fi movies dealing with initially arrogant and macho military men (sometimes also women but not here) being sent into a top-secret and geographically remote government research facility or underground lab to eliminate some sort of experiment that went horribly wrong. As a matter of course, these people haven't got a clue what they will be battling against and, regardless of their intense training and superior skills, they get mercilessly ripped to pieces by something (usually an alien or a genetic experiment) much stronger and slimier than them. All these films are basically "Aliens" wannabes, but quite fun nonetheless!

"Djinns" also fits into this category, although there are a few minor but crucial differences. Instead of in a fictional research facility or lab, the action takes place in an actual historical setting namely the French-Algerian War in 1960, which was largely fought in the Sahara Desert and eventually led to the independence of Algeria in 1962. The military squad is not sent on a mission to destroy a failed experiment, but to recover a mysterious suitcase after the crash of a plane in the desert. They are, however, soon confronted with a powerful type of evil that kills them one by one.

Apart from facing heavily armed Muslim guerilla fighters and enormous sandstorms, the 10-headed French army platoon are also pursued by "Djinns"; - invisible desert creatures that take possession of your body and soul. Only a few people can see these "Djinns", among which the geeky soldier Michel, and that makes him the "Chosen One" according to a witch in a local village they invade. The film has a couple of intriguing moments, like the accurate finale, but most of the running time is dull, derivative, and unexciting. You cannot sympathize with any of the characters, since they're all selfish soldiers, so it doesn't really matter if they die or in what order. The creatures are invisible, which doesn't work in horror movies, and even if we catch a glimpse of them via the perception of soldier Michel, they are not exactly spectacular.

Anyone who thinks this film is remarkably unremarkable may want to go back to watching mind-trash like 'Crank' or 'Saw' or 'Final Destination' - this film was well acted, well directed, and well laid out. The approach to 'less is more' works perfectly in a setting like the desert, and it allows he actors to really be the stars, not the usual North American FX team. I'm not usually a fan of subtitles, but this film was perfect for me... minimal dialogue to read, so anything said is important to the plot, not the usually mundane babbling characters that you cheer when they get killed off... no this film did the dialogue right.

If you want torture, gore, blood, and naked virgins - this is NOT the film to watch. If you want story, good solid action, intensity, and just enough creepy to be the icing on the cake... this is a GREAT FILM!

Was expecting a lot from this but sadly although the acting is good, the story and horror is a bit tame.

The film conjures up a good atmosphere but does nothing with it and it all becomes a bit slow and generic with nothing new to add to the genre.

Or do not wish for (to happen) for that matter. That goes for what happens in the movie. In the end though it does feel more like another horror movie, then a "history" lesson in french background. Of course this only loosely based on anything. And the fact that other movies have used similar approaches (Guard Post et al) does not help or improve on the viewing experience.

On the other hand, who knows how many movies you have seen. This might be the first of its kind and you might therefor like it more than I did. It's not a bad movie see, but it's just did not cut it for me either (no pun intended). Especially considering there is the British and a Korean movie, both handling the matter on hand better. Still if that is your cup of tea, you will like it.

excerpt, full review at my location.

Originally released under the title Djinns, this French debut from directing husband and wife partnership Hugues and Sandra Martin comes to DVD. The North African desert is the home of the Djinn, a group of invisible demons intent on protecting their home from a platoon of French soldiers on a rescue mission.

With Stranded, Hugues and Sandra Martin have somewhat missed the opportunity to present a worthy successor to other superior examples of similarly themed films. By no means a disaster, but still remarkably unremarkable, and too familiar to leave much of an impression.