Movie producer Kunle Afolayan has released a new flick titled Ijogbon on Netflix, and for some reason, the almost 2-hour-long movie fell short of expectations. The film was too basic considering the prior works of the director who has set a very high bar for the Nollywood industry.
It bored us to the extent that we had to double-check that Kunle Afolayan really directed it, but it didn’t bore us enough to dump it, so we saw it to the end.
Set in a rural village in Oyo, western Nigeria, the highly anticipated movie, Ijogbon (which means chaos in English) is centered around four teenagers who find a pouch of uncut diamonds, but when others hear about the coveted finding, the greedy teenagers have to stay safe from those coming to look for the bounty.
Jamiu, the oldest of the youths, was desperate to leave the country for overseas in search of greener pastures, and his decision overrides the rest — Oby, Prince, and Ranti — in harbouring the diamonds which eventually invite their woes, a consequence of their youthful recklessness and the power of poor decisions.
You see, Ijogbon comprises well-established actors which include Yemi Sodimu, Yemi Solade, Gabriel Afolayan, Sam Dede, Femi Adebayo, Adunni Ade, Bolaji Amusan, and others, but we weren’t impressed with the acting performances.
Imagine a Yoruba Reverend in a core Yoruba village struggling to speak Yoruba, he can’t even quote verses from the Yoruba bible when needed. A whole Sam Dede struggling to verbally express himself, a clear miscast!
The four main teenagers in the movie were Ruby Akubueze as Oby; Kayode Ojuolape Jr. as Jamiu; Fawaz Aina as Omooba, and Oluwaseyi Ebiesuwa as Ranti. Rounding out the cast are Yemi Sodimu as Principal; Yemi Solade as Chief Owonifaari; Bimbo Manuel as Kabiesi; Sam Dede as Rev. Sangodoyin; Femi Branch as Banjo; Femi Adebayo as Head of Amotekun; Gabriel Afolayan as Broda Kasali; Funky Mallam as Kafachan; Bolaji Amusan as Alabi’ Tana Adelana as Mama Oby’ and Adunni Ade as Chidera.
Aside from the fascinating cinematography, fantastic production, beautiful scenery, quality setting, high angle capturing of rocks and mountains, costume, and effects, the plot was just bleh and not exciting to watch. Had several unnecessary and disjointed scenes. For instance, Oby’s fighting scene at the river wasn’t relevant, and the scene of the king’s son using an iphone to impress the girls and being kidnapped after the photo was taken didn’t add up.
Oh by the way, Kunle Afolayan needs to stop using folk stories of older adults narrating stories, he did with Anikulapo and used the technique here again, but this time, we didn’t see its relevance, as a matter of fact, it didn’t add any value to the movie if you ask us. The old woman’s story was so easy to not follow in the movie.
In conclusion, there is an important lesson for parents in IJogbon. Ijogbon stresses that as parents, being aware of the whereabouts and choices of our children is vital. With this knowledge, parents can impart guidance and wisdom, steering their children away from the rocky path of avarice and making choices they may later regret.
From us at Kemi FIlani, it ia 5/10 for Ijogbon.
