Movie Review - ANÍKÚLÁPÓ (One With Death In His/Her Pocket) - My Opinion & Assessment
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. Today I'll be doing a movie review with a particular focus on the most mainstream Nollywood movie right now.
Although, I'm not really a fan of Nigerian films (Nollywood) because the vast majority of producers and directors haven't been able to deliver standout acting, gripping stories, and, most importantly, stunning cinematography.
However, over time, veteran Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan significantly improved the movie industry, which motivated me to continuously keep a look out for his movies, therefore any movie Kunle Afolayan has produced and directed has always piqued my interest.
So let's return to our main discussion. ANÍKÚLÁPÓ became accessible on all digital platforms, including Netflix, on September 30, 2022.
I had been anticipating the movie's release up until that point because I was so confident Kunle Afolayan would make a masterpiece. Just as I anticipated, a week after its release, everyone both domestically and internationally was talking about the movie, so I decided to write a review on it.
So buckle up and take a trip with me as we review the movie ANÍKÚLÁPÓ
ABOUT THE MOVIE
The movie focuses solely on the exploits of a young man named Saro who traveled to the enormous Oyo kingdom in search of better vistas.
But as things went on, he was eventually discovered and paid a price for his illicit association with the young wife of the king, Arolake.
The punishment caused Saro to die, but fortunately for him, with the aid of his wife, a mystical bird named Akala raised him from the dead. On that occasion, Saro's wife took the mystical bird power and gave it to him, and the power gave him a remarkable gift that he uses to raise the dead. He consequently gained a lot of popularity. This popularity gave increase his feelings of pride, greed, and lust.
MY OPINION AND ASSESSMENT
As I mentioned earlier, I'm not a huge fan of Nollywood (Nigeria films), but I always look forward to everything that Kunle Afolayan produces because I know it will be a classic.
The Ifa mythology-based Yoruba culture and beliefs are presented in the movie in an obviously convoluted way. The movie's main goal is to raise public understanding about Yoruba customs, values, and culture.
It also serves as a reminder of the governing structure and way of life that existed in the Yoruba empire at that time.
STORYLINE
Given that there was no real plot twist or detour, the story was rather simple and the outcome was obvious. I clearly recall that near the end of the film, I literally guessed how it would end, and lo and behold, I was right.
There were also no exciting moments to keep us hooked to our couches.
We acted more like spectators, not actually participating in the story but rather following Saro's adventures. The dialogue could have been more captivating to make it great.
CINEMATOGRAPHY/VISUAL EFFECTS
Being able to view high-quality photographs of the Yoruba race lineage's history gives me great satisfaction. The production team did a fantastic job on the set, and it was wonderful to watch a movie that was set during pre-colonial times. I really wish, however, that the script was as good as the film.
SOUND/MUSIC
The soundtrack also made a strong impression on me. Every emotional response seems to have been elevated and heightened as the film progresses, as if it were purposefully planned to do so.
The songs sung in the film were all Yoruba songs that were written exclusively for the movie.
ACTING/SET
Wow, such an impressive piece of living in the dark ages! I honestly enjoy everything about the historical setting, festival, dances, cuisine, people going barefoot, crafting fabric, shaping clay, etc.
Hats off to the teams in charge of the haircut, makeup, and especially the tribal marks; to be completely honest, the makeup artist behind the tribal marks deserves a medal!
"Anikulapo's" lead actor Kunle Remi gave one of his best performances to date. He was able to accurately portray the persona of "Saro/Anikulapo" by showing a variety of emotions, including agony, pride, adoration, and power. Not to mention the majority of the veteran cast members in Yoruba; each performer was excellent.
The genius Kunle Afolayan demonstrates in making this film is one thing that drew my attention. Hakeem Kazeem was given a role that his accent prevented him from doing effectively in. He atoned for this by making Kazeem a mute king, this helps cover up his accent... Only an intelligent and great thinker will bring this up..
In Summary
Even though this movie is a "masterpiece," it required just as much work to produce. The degree of hospitality shown by Yoruba people is one of the many points Kunle Afolayan makes in this film. In today's world, we have developed to be wary of strangers.
Finally, let me suggest that you must watch this movie since it is well worth your time.
This film receives a rating of 8.5 out of 10 from me.
We support quality posts anywhere and any tags.
Curated by : @mato445
Hello @mbemba2310 thanks for reviewing this movie in our community. Through your review, I can say that it's an interesting one. Though I'm not a movie fan but I watch interesting ones sometimes. Continue to be active in our community we appreciate your effort
Try and be upvoting manually