5 reasons why 'King of Boys: The Return of the King' is a must-watch

The film, produced and directed by Kemi Adetiba and starring Sola Sobowale as the lead character and antagonist, has been stirring a lot of buzz on social media with Sobowale featuring in a number of snippets and social media influencers doing skits mimicking her.

Known as Eniola Salami in the film, Sobowale is a very powerful and influential political figure in the film, using all that is at her disposal to eliminate her enemies.

In the first film released on October 20, 2018, she is arrested and jailed but was able to escape and leave the country. In the second film, she is back in Lagos to continue realising her political ambitions which involves using a lot of dark powers, making her known as ‘Laburu’, meaning evil in Yoruba.

Here are key reasons why there’s so much excitement about seeing the movie:

1. Understanding the dark side of Nigerian politics

Nigeria is large country riddled with corruption and struggle for power at whatever cost. It’s been a running theme in the history of the country and as such it has been difficult to bring culpable people to justice.

King of Boys depicts what goes on underground in Nigerian politics in the quest for power. Sola Sobowale’s character in the film lays that perfect example. The depth to which it was exposed in the first film will continue in this sequel and this is an eye opener on why the push for good governance, accountability and transparency must continue, because if it doesn’t, it will come at the cost of country remaining stagnant and innocent lives wasting away.

2. Kemi Adetiba’s award-winning directing

King of Boys is the second feature film by Adetiba after The Wedding Party in 2016 which was a hit. The success of that movie took Adetiba’s name further up having had a glamorous career as a radio and television host in the past. It was clear the first instalment of King of Boys was not going to disappoint and that same feeling is going into this sequel.

3. Sola Sobowale’s ‘A game’ acting

Sola Sobowale isn’t an unknown name in the Nigerian movie industry, having a successful career in both English and Yoruba titles. She is popularly known to be cast as a character that is very loud, aggressive and volatile. However in King of Boys, she not only displayed this, but also added the element of cool, calm, rich and savvy, the perfect picture of a sophisticated aristocrat. It was top notch acting and no one could have done the role better. From the snippets she’s done, expect more from her in the Return of the King sequel.

4. The rest of the cast

If there’s one thing that has stood out in Adetiba’s films, it is the cast. Her films have contained many A list actors and actress in Nollywood. In the Wedding Party, names such as Adesua Etomi, Bankole Wellington (Banky W), Sobowale, Ireti Doyle, Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD), Zainab Balogun, Ayo Makun (Ay) and Frank Donga were cast, while in the first instalment of King of Boys, Etomi and Sobowale were recast with music artists Illbliss and Reminisce featuring, as well as Osas Ighodaro alongside veterans Akin Lewis and Jide Kosoko.

In the sequel, we are expected to see RMD and Charly Boy appear alongside much of the cast from the first instalment. All of this creates an exciting and thrilling viewing experience with nothing but brilliant acting from beginning to the end.

5. The international appeal

In the past, Nigerian movies have struggled to get international recognition because of how extremely low they are on budget and overall production. However, with a shift away from DVD releases to cinema and digital releases, more movies are now getting acclaim. All Adetiba’s productions have gone in this direction, giving her huge recognition. With King of Boys: The Return of the King set for release on Netflix, it will certainly have everyone talking about it across the globe.

------

Kunle is an avid writer with interest in topics on sports, politics and health. His articles have featured in Goal.com, Opera News and Vanguard News. He holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in International Relations and is an advocate for people living with Hydrocephalus and other neurological conditions.

-----

Pulse Contributors is an initiative to highlight diverse journalistic voices. Pulse Contributors do not represent the company Pulse and contribute on their own behalf.