I’ve stopped watching African movies, even as a critic—unless I am paid or asked to watch it with incentive. The reason is obvious: almost all of them are a waste of your time and with a stream of films from different parts of the world available online, why waste my limited time watching garbage?
And then came Lionheart. For all this time, I have been reluctant to watch it, over fears of wasting my time, once again.
But people have been talking about it on social media. The last time a movie received such many social media mentions and I watched it, it was worth it. I mean ‘Acrimony.’ It, at least, leaves you with an aftermath conversation—something many films these days lack.
So I decided to watch Lionheart this morning despite having a lot of work to do. I was being lazy but thought I should compensate my laziness with something worthy.
Now, I feel “double bad”.
Seriously, what is the hype about? Is it the dry chops of banal comedy or the non-moving storyline that makes this movie talk of social media?
It’s our acceptance or hype of substandard things because they are African, that has landed us where we are today as a continent of mediocrity.
Any Spider-Man film, a Marvel flying and ass-kicking movie, even has a personality and intriguing storyline than this Lionheart.
This is a typical Nollywood movie, except that the scenes are somewhat truncated—the absurd coincidences, irrelevant scenes and sometimes dialogue, featured all over. And that Genevieve’s PA or whatever she is, is the most annoying one to watch—with her bad acting all over.
This is a 4/10 movie—probably even 3.
Charley, we need to be serious. When it ended, I asked my wife—is that all?
—Chris-Vincent Agyapong