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(Review) King of Boys 2: The Return of the Kings

King of boys is a story chronicling the life and struggles of fictional character “Alhaja Eniola Salami,” a ruthless businesswoman, mafia boss and philanthropist who becomes a politician in the sequel, starring veteran actress Sola Sobowale and other fantastic acts such as Adesua Etomi, premiered to a generally warm reception from fans and critics alike, and was proof Kemi knew her onions. Three years after it’s blockbuster debut, “King Of Boys 2” titled “The Return Of The King” was released not as a movie this time, but a series with a total of seven episodes debuting as Nollywood’s first Netflix Original series.


It is a great achievement even in any movie industry for a movie or series to outdo it’s predecessor, so it was a pleasant surprise when this was the case with “King Of Boys 2”. The Return of King Of Boys is a heavily star-studded sequel with actors such as Deyemi Okanlawon, Efa Iwara, and Nse-Ikpe Etim make their debut on the film’s second instalment. Also featured are Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Charles Oputa aka Charly Boy, Bimbo Manuel, etc. The stakes were higher here, the pressure and expectations were through the roof but Kemi Adetiba did not disappoint, and If anything this second attempt superseded our imagination, giving us much needed closure.


Unarguably a break from the usual, it’s themes of political thuggery, “gangsterism” and the manic quest for power depicted so evocatively, also resonated well with Nigerians particularly because of the timing of it’s release, which was ahead of the election year. “King Of Boys” may not have won any awards at the AMVCA at the time, but it was “That film”. The film people conversed nonstop about, the “standard” not just in it’s celebration of the rich Yoruba culture displayed in it, i.e. the costuming and use of adages and proverbs by the female protagonist, but the efforts channeled into it’s production were glaring, and everyone could see it was a well thought out and properly executed movie. Not without it’s flaws, but unquestionably a fantastic cinematic piece.


However, of all the things we thoroughly relished most about “King Of Boys”, nothing tickled us more than it’s refreshing dialogue. The soundtracks were great, Adetiba opts for a menacing sound of impending doom with great suspense using occasional Yoruba and Igbo songs all rendered with emotive descriptions to the scenes of relevance. The songs were composed by Bayo Adepetun and Tolu Obanro with an additional score from the Storyblocks and Epidemic Sound.

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