montage Lisabi
Movie buff reviews the hit Netflix movie- Lisabi: The Uprising- and other popular Nollywood epic films released in the last couple of years.

LISABI: THE UPRISING (2024)

Directed by Niyi Akinmolayan & Yinka Olaoye

I was a wee bit apprehensive about this movie after the last historical Nollywood movie I watched and reviewed but as I watched, the wariness dissipated. Lisabi is a good movie. Cut from the same cloth as Jagun Jagun. While the latter is purely fiction, Lisabi is loosely based on a popular Yoruba legend about an Egba hero who led his people’s uprising against the oppressive clutches of the Oyo Empire in the 18th century. If you’ve ever visited Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, Western Nigeria, this is perhaps one of the stories your guide would have told you.

Lisabi Poster
Lisabi poster

The movie

Songodeyi
Songodeyi

It’s a slow-burn, building up characters whose plight under oppression would end up being the last straw for Lisabi (no spoilers here), and this is also intended to move the viewer. Without this build-up, its impact on the main character would be lost on us. The stark contrast between two best friends- the hardworking, serious Lisabi (Lateef Adedimeji) and his lazy, happy-go-lucky, inebriate pal Osokenu (Mr. Macaroni) add colour to the blackness and bleakness of the people’s condition under the Alaafin of Oyo (Odunlade Adekola) and more prominently Songodeyi (Ibrahim Chatta)- his tribute collector. You cannot but laugh at the dark humour of Egba’s oppressors. Songodeyi’s character was particularly annoying just as it was amusing. A character you would love to hate with his subtle mannerisms (this was missed in Jagun Jagun’s villain) like his Popeye smirk and Joker laugh. He stood out in the movie.

The props, costumes, and scenery were aligned with the film’s period and setting. The Alaafin’s palace was grand enough and had the ambience of one. That was refreshing to see. Anachronism in period pieces sticks out like a sore thumb and can hurt it. A research unit should always be part of historical movies to ensure authenticity and credibility. One should take a cue from Shaka Ilembe’s creative team which had historical experts and took about 5 years of research before starting the first season. They even created a reference book to ensure all departments conformed with the historical setting i.e. the props, costumes, food, etc. That’s how seriously they took it.

Lisabi can be considered Nigeria’s response to Robin Hood with the Alaafin as Prince John and Songodeyi as the Sheriff of Nottingham but for the supernatural twist towards the end. Was it necessary? Could it have been a good story without it? I think so. Maybe better. Usually, I find paranormal add-ons to historical narrations as a cop-out to creating more complex, intriguing scripts but I guess superstition is part of our story and culture, eh? But it has to look convincing to be taken seriously. Less is more especially in the CGI department. Any iffy or low-budget special FX leaves a bad taste. This wasn’t the case here though. It was respectably done when Lisabi invited some ‘orishas’ to train the Aaro. Coincidentally, this is the same guy, Hakeem, who handled the special effects in Jagun Jagun. They shouldn’t push it though.

Lisabi and friends

The story ends with a dramatic climax. However, considering the orisha training the Egba warriors got before they attacked, you wonder if there is any need to fret over what happens next in the sequel. Every scene had a purpose. You won’t find yourself scratching your head over a scene’s inclusion. The story had the potential to be deeper but achieved its aim.

Abebi
Abebi

I’ll give this epic a 7.5/10.

After watching Lisabi, I started thinking about Nollywood epic movies in general. Has the genre evolved? Has it improved storywise? Dialogue, plot, cinematography, overall production? I think snap reviews of some popular ones released since 2020 may be in order.

Let’s go.

AMINA (2021)

Amina poster

Directed by Iju Ojukwu

Cast: Lucy Ameh, Asabe Madaki, Clarion Chukwura, Ali Nuhu

A movie about the rise of Queen Amina of Zazzau in the 16th century. Probably the most famous warrior queen in Nigerian history, she ruled for 34 years over a vast kingdom in a male-dominated society. Known for her skills as a warrior and a strategic military ruler, Amina inspired popular fictional characters like Xena: Warrior Princess– the 1990s TV series. It is therefore understandable that the expectations for this movie were high. Did it deliver on all fronts? Well, no. But in certain areas like costumes, props, and setting, yes.

The story is primarily about the coming of age of young Amina. It is one of the earlier historical movies with a relatively good budget. (Kudos to the Bank of Industry for support.) Like any typical African legend, there is a bit of sorcery in the mix. Our local history is seldom separated from legend as I mentioned in my Lisabi review. There’s also a plot twist where Queen Amina goes in search of the Kusugu Well (the well of Bayajidda). Didn’t quite see the need for this addition to her story. Left me rather perplexed as the Amina origin story is already rich without an unnecessary diversion. The film moves at a relatively fast pace- sometimes too fast- with some scenes lasting not more than a minute or two before a fade-out. This also affects the flow of the story. On the plus side, the final battle scene was rather impressive compared to some we see nowadays and didn’t rely heavily on CGI. We also miss important parts in fight scenes as the cameras fail to show them clearly or barely.

In general, a fair attempt at bringing Amina’s ‘origin’ to the screen. We need more epics like this from other parts of the country. Something tells me it would have come out better in vernacular with English subtitles.

It gets a 4.5/10

NEXT: ELESHIN OBA, ANIKULAPO and more

popcorn
movie buff

1 thought on “LISABI & The Uprising of Nollywood Epics

  1. Lisabi was so professionally done. I expect Part 2 to be much better and part of it shot on Olumo Rock. I believe the history is tied to the rock.

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