‘Jagun Jagun’ masterclass climaxes Nollywood’s necessary growth
The Femi Adebayo-produced movie typifies how far Nollywood has grown and how seemingly incurable flaws are fast becoming a thing of the past.
I have been a fan of Femi Adebayo for a long time and every time comparison comes up between who’s the better thespian between him and - you can guess - Odunlade Adekola, I never think twice before making my choice. It’s always the Law graduate.
This gap becomes more obvious in the two films released by the two Nollywood giants in the space of 3 weeks. Adekola released Orisa to the cinemas on July 21st while Adebayo’s Netflix-powered Jagun Jagun became available for streaming on August 10th.
From watching the two movies, the easiest thing that stands out is the script vis-à-vis the attention to detail. It’s actually painful to see Odunlade carry that laxity from Orisa into Jagun Jagun. In his cameo in the Netflix offering, he says, ‘so pe o ti lo.’ How does ‘o ti lo’ not look out of place in an ancient Yoruba movie? ‘O ti lo’ is 2020s slang.
The same issue reeks all over Orisa. The scripts were poorly researched. 21st-century Yoruba expressions and slang were all over the film, yet you want the viewers to be immersed in the practice of a pre-colonial Yoruba society.
Odunlade Adekola is undoubtedly a fantastic actor but he seems to think great acting is all a film needs. The lack of rigorous research was telling, particularly in the actors' lines and not even their impressive acting could mask that. I used to accuse him of ‘overacting’ but more exposure and working with seasoned professionals appear to have curbed that side of him.
As a result, some critics have viewed the education gap between Adekola and Adebayo as the reason the latter is not guilty of the same flaws as the former (Adekola only had a diploma before bagging a degree from Unilag in 2018) and it is difficult to argue against that.
More importantly, with Jagun Jagun, Femi Adebayo delightfully delivers a blockbuster, one which ticks almost all the boxes, save for a few dots.
There were a lot of popular faces in the film and it was an initial red flag for me given that quite a number of Nollywood films had flattered to deceive. But Jagun Jagun bucked the trend. It was a relief to see many big names play minor roles. That you are a big name shouldn’t automatically confer a major role on you. Meanwhile, Lateef Adedimeji continues to see his stock rise after yet another brilliant showing.
The actors’ lines and choice of language were deliberate, well-researched and fitting for the setting of the film. The rigour has borne fruits for the producer who must be glad seeing Gbogunmi’s ‘mo loogun o, ogun buruku n be lowo mi’ trend on social media, among other excerpts from the movie.
Also, the twists in the movie were interesting to see, chief among them being Iroyinogunkiitan (played by Bukunmi Oluwasina) as Agemo, the Flash-esque demonic fighter. I’m not sure any viewer saw that coming.
Another indicator of Nollywood’s growth in the Jagun Jagun was the visual effects, otherwise known as film tricks. Not that we have caught up with our Hollywood counterpart but we have come a long way from the ridiculous fires, stabs and deaths. The 3D particles used to depict clairvoyant warnings for Ogundiji were brilliant. Niyi Akinmolayan and his Anthill Studios deserve credit.
The film isn’t without a few flaws though. I already mentioned Odunlade’s o ti lo. It is mysterious how Gbotija and two other warriors wiped out an entire village with no one able to escape even though the two warriors were overpowered.
Overall, Jagun Jagun is a pointer to how far Nollywood has grown and how many of seemingly incurable flaws are fast becoming a thing of the past. Of course, there is still room for improvement but this is a win that should be celebrated.
A Yoruba epic film like this should provide the nudge for more daring actors and producers to further showcase the richness of the Yoruba history and heritage.
Odunlade is one of the best actor and he doesn't overact and as for the orisa I strongly believe the film is ok just that you are entitled to your opinion