Movie Review: ‘King Of Boys: The Return Of The King’ Is A Pacesetter That Is Worth All The Hype.
Nigerian director, Kemi Adetiba who made her debut as a director when she directed the movie, Wedding Party is back and indeed better with a sequel to the 2018 movie, King of Boy. But this time she turns it into a series titled, King of Boy: The Return of the King and it is breathtaking.
Remember in the first King Of Boys, Eniola Salami had to go on exile in the United States so she would escape death. This wasn’t after she lost her two children in the hands of her enemies. Now in this sequel, the king, Eniola returns five years later to her motherland to run as governor and also pay her enemies back for what they did to her and her family. The battle starts the moment she lands in Nigeria, and the ball is set running the moment she announced she is running for governor of Lagos state. Now her enemies not only increased but tripled. Alhaja Salami now had not just her old enemies like Aare to fight, but the governor and his family, his wife particularly, Jumoke Randall (Nse Ikpe-Etim), and more to fight.
Now let’s get into the heart of the matter, the foundation of the entire movie which is the storyline. The storyline was superb, well written, deep, it didn’t fall below expectation and it surely raised the bar compared to part one. But, the little but that exists is the tiny loopholes in the storyline.
For instance, we were not told how Makanaki (Reminisce) survived, questions like who saved him, were not answered. All we know was that he came back from the dead in this series. Secondly, it wasn’t really clear if Ade Tiger was the one working for Aare or Boxer. But asides from these unanswered questions that we have, the storyline indeed carried power. Moving on from the storyline, characterization is one of the high points of this movie. Whether Kemi Adetiba did the casting herself or she used a casting director, they definitely did a great job. First Eniola Salami herself was well carried and interpreted. Sola Sobowale ate up this character, whole. There couldn’t have been a better king than this prolific actress, no cap. From every emotion to gestures, to facial expression, my gawd, she killed it. In fact, she deserves to be called the queen of facial expressions, she has it. Still on Eniola Salami, now the younger self of this character, Toni Tone was just perfect. Toni Tones matched up to Sola Sobowale, that even the fact that the older Eniola is light-skinned compared to the young Eniola didn’t still reduce the perfection of the interpretation of the characters. This is where we give kudos to Kemi Adetiba, that she valued the interpretation of the roles, to the physical look, just awesome.
Another character that stood out in ace is the goddess, Jumoke Randall played by Nse Ikpe-Etim. My lawd, this lady crushed this role. She definitely deserves an award for her role in this movie. From the major to the minor characters, every actor in King of Boys: The Return of the King, killed it. They finish work back to back. From Charlie Boy to Akin Lewis, Illbliss, to RMD, all of them were awesome.
Another high point of this movie is the amazing costume. Controversial fashion designer, Toyin Lawani did terrific work on the king herself. From the maid to the bodyguard, every character had the right costume for the right scene. The makeup, on the other hand, was on flick. Jumoke Randall’s lipstick was epic, I must mention. Another must mention, was Makanaki, the special effect make-up on him for his scars was on point. The killing scenes in this King of Boys: The Return of the King was unique, unique because the shadow-effect used, helped achieve a much better scene, especially the scene where Odugwu was killed. The way the blood spilled out was commendable. Speaking of the scene, the settings for each scene was apt. The round table of King of Boys: The Return of the King had its own ambiance that sent home the message that this is not a space for games. We definitely have to give it to the music director. The musicality of this entire piece, from episode one to seven was on point. The music did just what was needed, set the tone and mood needed to awaken the preferred emotions in the viewers. The cinematography was just seamless. One thing that is obvious is the fact that Kemi Adetiba had a good team for this movie. Every department was well accounted for and they all delivered, this alone is worth commending. For every part that wasn’t mentioned in this piece, King of Boys: The Return of the King killed it all.