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Review

Audience Reviews: Oya: Rise of the Suporishas

OF GODS AND AMBITIOUS DIRECTORS

Oya tells the story of Adesuwa, a young woman with the ability to transform to Oya, the goddess of change. Adesuwa is on a mission to close the gateway between earth and the world of the Orishas. To succeed she must find the key.

He has succeeded on making a film in his dream genre, sci-fi, than at developing a story. The special effects were unconvincing and fight choreography less than seamless. At some point I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the reason Tanit, a villain, would do nothing to defend herself but wait to get hit before responding.

The film’s costumes, hardly original, had Matrix written all over—mostly Neo’s outfit without sleeves.

A story based on a myth should have some introduction to those unfamiliar with said myth. An easily remediable flaw corrected by the inclusion of an unseen narrator; competently used by Kunle Afolayan in The Figurine—which is also based on a myth, though a specially contrived one.

There were also character inconsistencies. In the depiction of Greek gods, the behaviour of the characters are consistent. Whenever you see Hercules, either rendered by Disney or played by Dwayne Johnson, his behaviour is consistent: he is always a man of brutish strength. Same can’t be said of these Orishas—Sango and Oya. There was nothing distinct to tell these gods apart except through dialogue which for the most part was inaudible.

While a bold attempt, Oya falls short, becoming a victim of its own ambition.

Roli Afinotan

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