MOVIE REVIEW: ANÍKÚLÁPÓ || The one who has Death in his pocket

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I have always been enthusiastic about any movie produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan. His excellent storytelling abilities have made him well-known.

In short, I'm not really a fan of Nigerian movies because the majority of producers and directors haven't succeeded in producing high-quality performances, compelling narratives, and, most significantly, cinematography.

However, over time, experienced Nollywood director Kunle Afolayan brought about significant improvements in the film business, which led me to constantly keep an eye out for his films.

Back to our original purpose, then.
On September 30, 2022, ANÍKÚLÁPÓ was made available on all digital platforms, including Netflix, theaters, and other places.

Before that day, I had been looking forward to the release of the movie because I was so sure Kunle Afolayan was going to create a masterpiece. Just like I thought, barely a week after its release, the movie has been on the lips of everyone both at home and abroad, so I took it upon myself to write a review concerning the movie.

So sit tight, journey with me as we discuss the movie ANÍKÚLÁPÓ.

𝔸𝔹𝕆𝕌𝕋 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕄𝕆𝕍𝕀𝔼

The movie only describes the adventures of a young guy named Saro who went to the vast Oyo empire in search of greener pastures.
However, as events unfolds and his Illicit relationship with Arolake, the king’s wife, he was ultimately caught and suffered serious consequences.

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He discovered a remarkable gift that a mystical bird named Akala gave to mankind and uses it to raise the dead. As a result, he became very well-known.
He needs to control his sentiments of pride, loyalty, and lust to prevent making the same error twice.

𝙼𝚈 𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆𝚂 & 𝙹𝚄𝙳𝙶𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃

As I said earlier, I’m not really a fan of Nigeria movies, but any movie that comes from the stable of Kunle Afolayan, I’m always looking forward to it because it’s sure going to be a Masterpiece.

The film presents the Yoruba culture and beliefs, which are based on the Ifa mythology, in an obviously strange manner. In essence, the purpose of the film is to promote greater awareness of Yoruba culture, values, and practices.

Additionally, it serves as a reminder of the governance and way of life that prevailed during that era in the Yoruba empire.

Beyond this point, any additional information will almost certainly provide spoilers. 🤐.

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ꜱᴛᴏʀʏʟɪɴᴇ

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The story was pretty straightforward without any form of diversion thereby making it so easy to predict the end. I remember vividly, towards the end of the movie, I literally predicted the end of the movie and voila my predictions were right.

Also, there weren’t any sizzling moments to keep us glued to our sofa.
We were more like onlookers, not really engaged in the narrative but merely following Saro's travels. It might have been better if the dialogue had been more engrossing.

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ᴄɪɴᴇᴍᴀᴛᴏɢʀᴀᴘʜʏ

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For the Yoruba race lineage, seeing their history captured in quality photography is indeed a source of joy. It was great to watch a movie that was set during pre-colonial times and the production team did excellent work on the set. But I truly wish the script was as strong as the show.

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ꜱᴏᴜɴᴅ

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I was equally impressed by the soundtrack. Every emotional response seems to have been raised and intensified as the movie goes on, as if it were carefully tailored to do so.

All of the songs used in the movie were all Yoruba songs, and they were all composed specifically for the movie.

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ᴀᴄᴛɪɴɢ

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Wow, what a fantastic exhibition of living in the past! I genuinely like everything about the historical environment, festival, dances, cooking, barefoot people, fabric-making, clay-molding, etc.

Hats off to the teams in charge of the set design, hair, cosmetics (especially the tribal marks), and to be honest, the makeup artist behind the tribal marks deserves a raise!

The performance Kunle Remi gave in "Anikulapo" was without a doubt his best to date. By displaying several aspects, including agony, pride, infatuation, and power, he successfully impersonated the character of "Saro/Anikulapo." Not to mention the majority of Yoruba's senior cast members; each actor did a fantastic job.

One thing that caught my attention is the brilliance Kunle Afolayan exhibits in this movie. He cast Hakeem Kazeem in a role that his accent could not allow him to perform well in. He covered up for this by giving Kazeem a character that is mute. An intelligent move, if you ask me.

𝕀ℕ ℂ𝕆ℕℂ𝕃𝕌𝕊𝕀𝕆ℕ

This film is the epitome of "masterpiece," yet it was made with equal effort. In this film, Kunle Afolayan emphasizes a number of things, one of which is the degree of hospitality Yoruba people do possess. We've evolved to be suspicious of strangers in our modern environment.

I’ll conclude by saying this movie is worth every second and is a must watch.