Labake Olododo is a Yoruba-language epic film with a rich cast of actors from the past and present. They include Bimbo Akintola, Fathia Balogun, Iyabo Ojo, Toyin Abraham, Broda Shaggi, Femi Adebayo, Muyiwa Ademola, Ibrahim Chatta, and more. Biodun Stephen directed it. Though the film is predominantly in the Yoruba language, it contains a few parts where English is spoken. It also includes English subtitles, making it accessible for those who don’t speak Yoruba.
Before heading out to see this movie, perhaps with your family, kindly note that it is rated 18+ because it contains nudity and violent scenes, so it’s not suitable for younger viewers.
Labake Olododo has a rich display of costumes, set design, soundtrack, and makeup, which at times felt a bit overdone. The visuals are good, but I didn’t find them stunning at all. They look more like what we’ve seen in recent times. The computer graphics and audio editing didn’t always hit the mark. While some scenes feature impressive special effects, others just seem rushed and unnecessary.
I must commend the directors for the choice of actors used in this movie. I always enjoyed it whenever Nollywood brings together legends and newbies for a project. In this movie, the actors embraced their roles with great interpretation. However, I must state that Iyabo Ojo as Labake, the lead character, didn’t sit well with me because she most time pushed her acting beyond reality. But she did well in the emotional parts because she gave her all, which made me feel I was seeing the true Iyabo Ojo in the character.
Whoever wrote this movie should note that Nigerians aren’t ready for a superhero female warlord character like Labake. Our history hardly contained such. The narrative also finds it hard to stay connected. On one hand, Labake is portrayed as a warlord seeking to protect with honesty. However, she was later revealed to be vengeful against those who killed her father. I was also expecting a movie full of many war battles, as revealed in the trailer. Sadly, I was just met with romance, betrayals, village politics and wrong judgment. It also contains comedy, leaving me to wonder what I signed up for: an action film, a comedy or a romcom. The movie is an attempt to roll everything in one pot. The first hour of this movie might leave you scratching your head, hoping for clarity as it introduces side plots and character decisions that don’t always add up. The battle scenes were too poor. Sometimes the battlefield seemed too scanty, perhaps because the directors didn’t know how to choreograph such scenes.
I strongly believe that the reason why Labake Olododo is not getting hyped is because it lacks what it takes, compared to Lakatabu and also Ajakaju. At some point, I felt Iyabo Ojo put the movie together just to join the league of Nollywood actors who have released epic movies about the defunct Oyo Empire. The movie doesn’t deliver anything new that we haven’t seen before. Nothing makes it memorable. It gets a 6/10.
