Another Nollywood remake fails to impress

Movie title: Domitilla: The Reboot

Duration: 2 hours

Publication date: April 7, 2023

Cast: Teniola Aladese, Uzoamaka Doris Auiunoh, Elvina Ibru, Deyemi Okanlawon, Stan Nze, Ejiro Onojaife and Onyinye Odokoro.

As well as creating a demand that currently prevents Nollywood producers from snapping up classic movies.

It almost seems that despite the thousands of screenwriters with new and intriguing film concepts, for a reason best described as nostalgia, everyone wants to rehash popular films from the 90s and early 2000s and “lazily” reboot them. .

Don’t get us wrong; we’re not saying that the idea of ​​a reboot is generally bad; it’s just the execution of many, including the latest addition, Domitilla, which feels like it puts zero effort into the stories, cinematography, and acting.

Domitilla has a pretty similar story to the original 1996 version. The film tells the story of four women who find themselves immersed in a dangerous web of prostitution, where the only way out is to lose their lives or those around them.

Undoubtedly, Domitilla has several moral lessons. However, it offers nothing new to the audience, protecting it from its ability to stand out. It almost seems to the audience that they are watching the controversy 2022 Glamor Girls movieexcept this time, the whole plot seems to be so vague that it’s hard to follow.

Gist

As is increasingly common in Nollywood films, the film begins with a flash forward where we see three ladies about to be shot to death by a man. Before that happens, let’s say we’re flashed back a few months and introduced to Ekwuto (Onyinye Odokoro), who is currently debating the pros and cons of going through with the arranged marriage. Finally he decides and runs away to Lagos.

When you get there Lagos, he squats with his friend Ijeoma (Chioma Okafor) and works as a part-time farmhand. At one of his early gigs, he meets Madame Vee (Elvina Ibru), who takes an interest in him and offers Ekwuto a chance to design a dress that would earn him millions.

Unknown to Ekwutosi, Madame Vee runs a prostitution and child trafficking ring. After a conversation with the two ladies, Ekwutosi is introduced to the world of prostitution in order to achieve the ladies’ “dreams”.

To help him navigate his new career opportunity, he is paired with two other ladies: Promise (Uzoamaka Anionuh) and Fissolideniola Aladese) At the same time, at the same time, Fisayo and Ekwutosi biosolid facade solid facade solid facade due to past trauma. he lived

Meanwhile, a lady’s corpse causes a detective (Deyemi Okanlawon) to investigate Madam Vee’s practices. The case that started as a dead end opens up with possibilities as the lady, Vince’s right-hand woman, decides to take him down.

good

It’s a fair effort to reboot Domitilla. The costumes were superb, the sound fantastic and the cinematography, although average, showed evidence of professionalism.

Stan Nze, who is no stranger to the big screen, stands out the most, as Farouk’s performance makes some scenes less grim and less spectacular.

ALSO READ: MOVIE REVIEW: Gangs of Lagos: Finally, a crime thriller that captures the reality of Isale Eko

Finally, Domitilla evokes a strong emotional response when the audience sees Promise shot, after sharing her traumatic life experiences and reconnecting with her mother.

Bad

In the middle of watching Domitilla, it would be normal to sit back and ask yourself, “What am I looking at?” You might even walk out of the theater because the script has several flaws that make it a little unbearable to sit through.

There were poorly written characters who had no strong motives or intentions as the story progressed; the conversation didn’t help matters as it was stilted and bland.

Usually, in scripted situations like this, the actors can save it to some extent, but Domitilla’s acting performances were below par. The actors didn’t get into the essence of the characters, preventing them from taking a journey with those characters and rooting for them until the end.

Don’t even get us started on the editing and music. Although there were some good songs, the background music whenever Madam Vee appeared on screen was distracting and ominous. The editing was also poorly done, as if someone had taken different parts of a film and stitched them together without considering the plot progression. This lends itself to the film being shot on a low budget.

Many show don’t tell moments also ruined this movie. Instead of Promise narrating his life experiences, there were other ways that fffFlash would have been ideal, or something other than Fisayo waking up suddenly in the middle of the night and offering his background.

The Last Judgment

4/10 Doitilla has great talent and many opportunities to explore, but he doesn’t optimize them.

Domitilla is showing in cinemas.