DID I just stir the hornet’s nest with my honest review of Mo Abudu’s latest film, Royal Hibiscus Hotel (RHH)? Many people have made so much ado about a mere movie review simply because it fails to praise-sing. By so doing, they have merely displayed an uncivilised attitude to the business of filmmaking and their personal disdain for correction. I ask; when has it become a crime to say the obvious, rather than follow the path that celebrates effort rather than outcome?
It is shocking that even people who should know better have sold their sense of objectivity, either to nepotism or share marketing of anything money-making.
In the last three days, words have reached me about how offensive my thoughts on RHH was, with many thinking it was daring to lift the lamp to the face of a tigress.
Here we go:
“Wow! Really harsh o. You took it to the cleaners.”
“Haaaaaaa. Strong man!”
“You dey find trouble o”
“I just read your review of the Royal Hibiscus Hotel. All I can say is “wow” but you know Mo Abudu does good marketing.”
“Dem go attack you o. You know these people don’t take criticism well.”
“This review is making me long for the movie, not because it’s going to be spectacular but so I can see all the lapses.”
“Very interesting read sir. I remember reading your review of The Wedding Party and felt you were a bit too harsh but looking back now, I should have trusted your judgement. The movie irritates and I find it difficult to laugh even though it was a comedy. On RHH, I am totally trusting your judgement. Something is wrong with Mo Abudu’s movie business experiment though and I think this topic deserves scrutiny from someone like you. From her Fifty movie down to RHH, there is nothing new. She is adding nothing to the rich Nigerian culture in terms of showcasing and archiving. This is turning out to a case of money miss road, sadly.”
“That was very balanced and considerate. This should excite Mo Abudu and help her neutralise ISD’s usually harsh reviews.”
“Victor you dey vex ooo jeeesussss!!! Mo won’t be one bit happy with you!”
“@ Victor Akande… Incredible boldness from a Nigerian Film Critic…It’s simply amazing for XYZ (not real word) where we drown ourselves in congratulations… I must see the movie to verify whether Victor’s essay is justified or good old fashioned ‘Bad Belle’.”
“Matters arising thank God it wasn’t me. Is Victor Akande qualified to critique? Wey your papers Victor? Abeg show your certificate.”
“Geez!”
“The art of critiquing is a simple intelligent mechanism …not rocket science… it needs no qualifications but more of passionate inclination.”
“Simple, intelligent. When you see one you will believe it. I’m eager to see the film also.”
“His write up is balanced. Intelligently crafted and you can only argue for and against when you see what he has seen. I also love the comparative analysis in his work. A big bold write-up. This is the kind of material that will keep you up at night.”
“Any criticism borne out of ‘badbellism’ is usually afloat for lack of substance.”
“Was that a critique, a review or an opinion?”
“Lots of awful premises inexplicably ending in an exquisite, iconoclastic Indian film like Zainab conclusion.”
“The earlier we realise that critics are filmmakers’ friends and not enemies, then our journey will begin.”
“I really could picture the scenarios as I read it. I am tempted to say good point but that will be bias because I have not seen the movie so until we watch the movie, we will just respect his creative argument. I also like the fact that it was balanced- the good, the bad and the ugly. I see his point with Lala- comparing her performance to Rita’s character acting. Again we can only agree or disagree after the release of the movie. It’s an intelligent crafting and beautiful analysis of a work of arts. He recognised great moments – by far better than a an opinion poll taken by a proposed ready writer who gather five people together and made his review on an opinion poll of “I didn’t like the movie” . But until we watch.”
“Film business is now serious business o. I read the review and sleep clear for my eyes.”
“It’s a very bold move. I have met the guy- a very young chap. If they can sustain this for 2 years, it will be a massive shake up. If they succeed, it’s going to encourage a lot more to take the step.”
“Let me just say that it looks like a film critique gets much more attention than a film praise, both for the film and the critic. Maybe there is a lesson in that for film marketing? I think so.”
“The feedback that I got from TIFF was quite positive.”
“Yea. It sold out in TIFF. People loved it.”
“Correction: Three sold out shows. Mixed crowd. I was watching from a distance. Nollywood is representing bigtime. But not everyone must like what others do.”
“Totally shocked by this write up. Been in this business long enough to read and sometimes accept criticism no matter how harsh it comes across but this one takes bad belle to another level. Was this the same film we watched? Wow…..not shocked because we got same about The Wedding Party about the same period last year and if that serves as a yardstick perhaps we should get ourselves ready for another smash hit.
“I was a skeptic myself before seeing RHH not because I didn’t think it would be a great production but mainly because I thought the trailer was not the strongest and I thought this was a reflection of the entire film (and yes this is coming from the film’s sales agent and I communicated my concerns adequately). I was totally wrong, RHH was a beautifully, well-crafted story that engaged and entertained its audience throughout the entire 91mins, (never watched a film 3 times in a row but this one had my attention) and the strongest part of the film contrary to this write up were the performances by the cast which with all due respect I also had concerns about due to the star centric system we run when it comes to theatrical releases in Nigeria.
“The truth is that one of the huge selling points of this fantastic follow-up for Ishaya Bako is the very believable performance of the cast and the ability to tell a story with a global theme in a very authentic Nigerian way.
“I will stop here and let the audiences vote once again come Feb 9 when we release the film to the world.”
“This RHH write up is more of an opinion to me sha. And the last line in the opening paragraph is exactly what I’m not fond off about these new wave critiques… shock and awe. Can’t one critique without being offensive or the savagery. Clearly didn’t like the film which is fair… But for a film that I know invested loads in technicals not much was said about that aspect, cinematography etc which may have forced the writer to speak a little more positively and against apparent m.o. (pun intended) Ishaya is a really good director so I’ll ‘comment my reserve’ till I watch am. Also heard film was pretty decent sha.”
“This is welcome, wish the two extreme views could be pushed and magnified, so fans would rush to view and have their opinions.”
If this was a football match, we’d be talking of a return leg on February 9, when RHH is released in cinemas.
Should critics be cowed by the commercial success of any film, and retreat from doing their part in the business? No! We are all players in this space, and it is a must for us to co-exist – like the tongue and the teeth.
But let me quickly say that the substance of a wholly commercial film has never been related to its technical pegs. So why do I need to bother myself talking about the best of cameras, the very notable director, cinematographer, lighting of RHH.
Should a reviewer or critic be so bias, malicious or unconstructive, it is only a matter of time before they are ranked among charlatans and attention seekers. Heaven knows I’m not a fan of unnecessary relevance.
For the record, one would only be bothered reviewing certain movies now because their makers may be trying to tell the world, albeit subtly, that their style defines Nollywood, when indeed it is not. Second, as long as we continue to play in the global space by participating in film festivals and international award schemes, Nollywood will not be treated to different rules of engagement. We must knock ourselves so hard, perhaps enough to feel the pain beyond how messy it feels when being stoned with a rotten tomato.
We must take criticism or critiquing in good fate. We must allow ourselves to be defined by our works and not for our works to be determined by our personalities. When Nollywood is fully ‘settled’, critics may care less about wholly commercial movies. It will amount to a waste of time because there will be other creative works to keep them busy.
Meanwhile, a review can come in form of a commentary or analysis. If it is a commentary, it may pass as an opinion; if it is an analysis, It may pass as a critique. All these are mere nomenclatures. They all point in one direction – perception. The filmmaker owes us a duty to be perceived well.
For those spotting for a ‘return match’ on February 9, 2018, let’s for once shift the battle ground from the cinema to award schemes like AMAA, AMVCA, and competitive arm of film festivals like AFRIFF, AIFF etc, and see what diadem awaits the RHH.
All said, do you know how many people now yearn to see this movie? I think I deserve a Thank You for this unpaid-for publicity (smile).
