‘Genie, Make a Wish’ (2025) Netflix Series Review - A Fantasy Show that Hardly Offers Anything Good

This show got me excited as Kim Woo-Bin and Bae Suzy finally shared the screen after nearly a decade since their last release. So, coming straight to the plot, Genie, Make a Wish revolves around Iblis, played by Kim Woo-Bin, who plays the role of a genie, and Ka-young, played by Bae Suzy.

Iblis awakens after a thousand years, intending to prove the corrupt nature of mankind. He decides to strike a gamble: if he manages to tempt human selfishness by way of granting three wishes, he will finally gain freedom from the shackles that are holding him. His sole aim is to prove that humans are the worst creatures to exist. Now comes into the picture Ka-young, a woman who is hard to corrupt. Even in her past lives, the Genie could not corrupt her. Now that is an issue for him since it is getting difficult for him to prove his point.  Ka-young is also different as she doesn’t really have a wish to make. She has everything she needs, and on the face of it, appears to be satisfied with her life. Now you must be thinking why Ka-young is the only chosen human. Well, the makers knew what the fans wanted to see and decided to give us that. Iblis recalls his past love dating back to the Goryeo era, which is now tied to Ka-young’s soul in this time. So in her, he sees the love of his life. Now the question is simple: will Iblis prove his point? Will Ka-young and he recognize their love for each other?  I won’t give the spoilers here because then what’s the point of watching the show, but once you start watching it, the ending is quite predictable.

To be honest, the show is devoid of logic. Many moments and scenes feel baseless, and you are left trying to join the dots in order to figure out what exactly is happening. Also, right from the start, the plot fails to capture your attention. It lacks that power-packed momentum that grabs eyeballs. The pacing is sluggish. So one scene goes on and on and on, which can, in turn, bore you a lot. Plus, a mixture of past lives and current lives also creates a bit of confusion since the transition isn’t smooth. Additionally, even the finale feels rushed as the makers didn’t want to break our hearts. So they did something that hardly makes any sense, but just does the job of keeping us satisfied. But what’s the point if the entire show doesn’t give us what we expect out of it? Since the star cast was ensemble, a lot of people had great expectations which weren’t catered to.  Yes, it does make you put on the thinking cap and think, even if it is for a second, if humans are indeed the most selfish creatures of all. However, the point that Iblis wished to make is a bit hard to grasp. One can't really understand the intention with which the first episode was aired, and the intention with which the last episode came are indeed correlated or not. The plot does divert a bit.

All in all, if you wish to relive the memories of watching Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy on screen, this show can help you. But even then, how long can you ignore a basic plot? The cast can do their magic only to an extent. Post that, it's up to us to watch what the makers serve us with.

Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Choudhuri
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times