Disclaimer: this may be a long review. I advise that you brace yourself up for it. LOL.
Following the release of the first movie in 2018, a lot of anticipation went up for this sequel. And after continuously stimulating our interests, phenomenal Nollywood producer Kemi Adetiba releases The Return of the King. Personally, I feared that this sequel will not meet up with the expectations. And after watching the movie, oh well, what can I say? A queen is a queen, Kemi Adetiba is worth stanning!
In this review, I will try my best to not give spoilers (or at least, not so much), I will just highlight my point with necessary references to the movie. Uhhh, let’s dive right in!
In case you didn’t know, this sequel is a seven-part movie, and every part undoubtedly had its relevance to the plot build-up. But I won’t even lie, at some point, it began to feel like a drag. Parts 2 and 4 felt too slow. I feel like a lot of scenes could have been done without. But I am also aware of the fact that every detail is necessary to prove the main plot, so I’ll let it pass. The major story of this sequel is to show how Eniola Salami regains her glory (if she does) after the unfortunate turn of events that we see in the first movie, and what would eventually lead to it.
THE PRODUCTION! Now when they say attention to details yeah? this production is it! The colour grading of each scene was so well done, it had me doubting that some of the set locations were actually in Nigeria. My favourite feature of this has to be the cemetery scene in part 1 where the atmosphere alternated which was an indirect allusion to the difference in the aura of her older and younger self. Every single thing was looked out for! The most thrilling for me had to be the costume and make-up. How the images, blood scenes, scars, shooting scenes, and even what seemed to be a sequel of when Makanaki removed the teeth of one of his boys in part 1, where Odudubariba orders for the finger of a member of the table to be taken out. That image was so real yo! The costume was so fitting for each character. Nse Ekpe Etim and Oba are my favourite wardrobe though, lol.
THE CAST! At a point, I caught myself thinking that aunty Kemi definitely chose her actors before writing scripts to fit them because what? How do you pull such a great cast together? Now we have seen a lot of productions with a frenzy of A-list actors, but this wasn’t just any shallow coalition. Each actor featured in a different role from the stereotype we have been used to and they killed it. Sola Sobowale, Toni Tones, Reminisce, Ill Bliss, RMD, Nse Ekpe Etim, Charlie Boy, Efa Iwara, nah, Kemi Adetiba literally gave us an unconventional cast yet every single person brought their A-game.
THE DIDACTICISM! Ughh! I know that there is no literary work without a subject matter, but really, the themes this story borders on are so crucial. First, we see the big issue of fighting with one’s demons. Eniola is unable to forgive herself for the death of her children, so much that she chooses to inflict physical pain on herself as a coping mechanism. The battles between her the two versions of herself and her younger self being her alter ego who eventually wins. We see the struggle of a woman who tries to redeem herself and turn a new leaf but snaps into what she has been running from when she is faced with her worst fear -betrayal.
Another thing I loved was how paradoxical the story was. How the entire story is about personal ambition, greed, and the length to which it can drive one. Though Eniola was the head of the table and she would stop at nothing to get what she wants, she was also not void of love. Even after she loses her children, we see that she is capable of loving another as her own with the way she loves Ade Tiger. I love how the basis for love in this story is not all hinged on romantic relationships. Oba and Tiger had a beautiful relationship. Their reunion at the airport felt so nostalgic, and his swearing allegiance in part 7 “mama, till I die” almost had me in tears. It was just too beautiful. I like that she is not left without any meaningful human relationship.
THE SATIRE! this one really cracked me up. You know how they say “with all due respect…” is usually a cue for disrespect? that was what this movie did. It literally started with a disclaimer stating that the characters are fictitious and any resemblance it may have to anyone is a mere coincidence, yet we could feel every of the story’s tug at the apparel covering the wound of our society to strip it off every disguise. This proves a storyteller who knows her onions. I love it.
THE CULTURAL REPRESENTATION! this was crowned it all for me. The strong presence of our indigenous languages proved their aesthetic and poetic nature. And trust me, English couldn’t have done a better job at carrying the same depth and meaning. My favourite representation of this was when her old and young selves were both chanting as Ade Tiger cleaned up the table (see clip below). It was just too beautiful !!! Nah, I love that this production is truly Nigerian.
Now that I have commended most things in this production, I think it is necessary to point out some things I think should have been done better.
The first is that Ade Tiger’s acting was shaky, especially when he had to feign being emotional as he recalled memories from his father’s death. That was too poor really.
The second is definitely how Osas pronounced “Eniola” at the airport. I wasn’t sure if that was a mistake or an intentional act but I think it was unnecessary.
This next category, I need an explanation on…
Why in the world did Boxer have to die? I have thought over and again, yet, except it being the reason for the snap, I don’t see how the story built to that point. I feel like there was a loophole there.
Next is how did Akorede and Mama reconcile? It is the most unlikely thing in the story because they are two very ambitious people and with the length that Makanaki was willing to go, it does not make sense that they just reconcile. So my guess is that there will be a part 3 (if this is true, please let it end there. We don’t want anything ruining our charm).
And lastly which is based on popular opinion is that Aare’s death was too peaceful.
After writing to this point, I realized I gave a lot of spoilers, and for that, I genuinely apologize.
Thank you so much for staying with me to this point. Don’t forget to engage this post by dropping your comments to let us know what you think. Also, follow us on our social media platforms and engage us there as well. Until next time, stay jiggy!
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