Beasts of Two Worlds (Ajakaju)

Ajakaju (Beast of two worlds) narrates the tale of a king in desperate need of a male heir. Without this male heir, he’s at risk of having to abdicate the throne. Desperate to fulfill this requirement, he strikes a pact with Ajakaju, hoping to finally obtain the desired male successor.

This movie opens with an introductory narration backed with amateurish animations. This narration begins strong but as the movie progresses the narration ends up detracting from the experience. It also doesn’t help that the tone of the narrator feels out of sync with the overall tone of the film.

Ajakaju stays true to the narrative style typical of Yoruba culture, faithfully capturing its essence throughout the film. The ambience impeccably reflects this cultural authenticity, with the setting perfectly aligned. Every aspect of Yoruba culture comes alive on screen, from lively dance sequences to regal court customs. Language, attire, and customs are meticulously portrayed, while the rural landscapes and traditional architecture are brought to life with vivid detail.

The soundtrack in Ajakaju is appropriate, but its editing leaves something to be desired. In numerous scenes, the score overwhelms the dialogue or competes with other sounds, such as drumming; its integration needs improvement. As previously mentioned regarding the amateurish animations, the special effects could benefit from additional refinement. Similarly, the makeup department requires improvement, particularly evident in the artificial-looking beard applied to Odunlade Adekola.

In the initial half of the film, the storyline progresses linearly until a backstory is introduced. However, dedicating an entire quarter of the movie to this backstory, as Ajakaju does, seems excessive. While the backstory is crucial to the narrative, its prolonged duration risks becoming tiresome. Moreover, this section introduces numerous sub-characters only to swiftly discard them, further complicating the flow of the story. It becomes even more tiring when the story goes into another backstory right after returning to the main plot, even though this one doesn’t last for long. This experience can be summarized as narrative fatigue.

To build anticipation for grand reveals, the plot in Ajakaju shrouds itself in mystery. However, this approach is transparent to discerning viewers, diminishing the impact of the reveals. It raises questions about the effectiveness of employing mystery if it won’t be fully explored. Nevertheless, the revelation of the king’s mother’s vice is commendable, injecting a tasteful shift into the story. Sola Sobowale‘s portrayal masterfully hints at the plausibility of her character’s sinister nature through subtle acting cues, earning praise for her performance.

Traditional Yoruba movies pack a lot of humour, but the use of comedy here is limited. This limitation ultimately isn’t detrimental to the story.

The plot of Ajakaju raises many questions. Why is her first child kept with the fire that big? The whole timeline with the children and his time left on the throne needs clarity. Why does the king attempt to kill himself when he has female children that need him? The movie explores times where male children are given more importance but it’s still disconcerting that the female children aren’t ever shown.

Ajakaju returns to the palace in the end but is the palace now safe for her and her children? The movie doesn’t show what happens to the king’s other three wives. Ajakaju also has a deep connection with the king so why didn’t she confide in him prior? You can’t kill children that someone desperately needs and expect them to be faithful to you.

Ajakaju makes a critical error that’s hard to overlook. Instead of showcasing antelopes, which are integral to the movie’s theme, we see goats. This discrepancy left me momentarily stunned, questioning the filmmaker’s perception of the audience’s intelligence. Given the project’s substantial budget and the presence of numerous renowned actors, such a mistake is inexcusable.

The highlight of Ajakaju lies in its cast. A case can be made that young actors aren’t given the opportunity to showcase their talents but when A-list actors give compelling performances like the one in Ajakaju this case can’t hold much weight. Sola Sobowale as always is breathing of excellence. The layers of her expressiveness need to be studied. Odunlade Adekola and Eniola Ajao also deliver strong performances as the leads. Although not featured much in the second half, the trio of Fathia Balogun, Mercy Aigbe, and Bimbo Akintola are a breath of fresh air in all their scenes. This list could go on and on because the cast is just filled with brilliant actors; important and passable roles are filled with solid performances. Ajakaju stands out as one of the best-acted Nollywood movies in recent memory. If only the material they worked with matched their brilliance.

In conclusion, Ajakaju (Beast of Two Worlds) offers an interesting journey into the heart of Yoruba culture, but it presents a mixed bag of elements that’ll both captivate and frustrate viewers. While the film immerses viewers in its rich cultural authenticity and features commendable performances from its stellar cast, it falls short in certain areas such as pacing, narrative coherence, and technical execution.