Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of Blood Bank 3, YouTube-released on July 4, 2021 from the stables of PREM Film International. As for its first two parts, this one also is written by Femi Adebile and directed by Adeoye Omoniyi. It continues the story of Kingsley, played by Adeoye Omoniyi, whose dealings with the Kwalishanga realm of the satanic kingdom brings him to his waterloo, after which he eventually meets Jesus in Part 1, and then is accused of killing his friend, Dr Mike, in Part 2. Part 3 takes the story a little bit further, while engrafting a convert of Kingsley from Part 2, Inspector Daniel, played by Richard Omidiwura who plays Jogunomi in Abejoye Season 4 (2021) and also features in Awon Akoni (2020), as well as his wife, Bolatito, played by Nike Owah who featured in The Train (2020) and the Abattoir Series (2020 to date).
The movie starts with a spot-on recap of Part 2 which sets a good platform for what is to come in the movie. I’ve observed that all films by Femi Adebile this year have had this, shall I say, fresh quality to their dialogue, in the sense that they are more witty and engaging, and the interchange between characters is more coordinated; Blood Bank 3 is no different. Almost every character is given a fair bit of mildly humorous lines which evoke a grin from the audience from time to time in the movie.
In my opinion, Blood Bank 3, as well as Blood Bank 2 (2021), looks more of a spin-off than a sequel. This is because firstly, the plot in each is propelled only a little, and secondly, the genre has kind of shifted from the mystical in Part 1 to Crime in Part 2, and Drama in Part 3. The baton of protagonism has kind of been passed from Kingsley to Joshua to Inspector Daniel at different times. The concept of ‘blood bank’ has thus been absent from these sequels, and it would be a bit difficult to follow them without having seen the original movie.
The main theme in Blood Bank 3 is the delicate yet powerful one of forgiveness. Virtually every character has one thing or the other to forgive, which goes to portray the fact that there is no end to offences that we might face. We must however be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to help us let go of every evil done to us. In the words of Plus One’s “Quest of Many Trails”: Remember the story without all the hurt; hold on to the fruit, and wash off all the dirt.
Most, if not all the scenes in Blood Bank 3 are short, which results in little conflicts that are quickly and easily resolved. The movie is thus unnecessarily fast-paced, which cost me as a viewer the chance to really get emotionally invested in the characters; it cost me the opportunity to truly care about the Kingsley and Daniel families. However, this is not because the film can’t be longer, because there are actually plot holes that naturally raise unanswered questions.
After seeing Blood Bank 3, I wondered, ‘How did Bolatito meet Kingsley’, ‘Did they know each other prior to their sexual intimacy, or was it a one-night stand’, ‘Was it a contract union they had with each other’, ‘Was Bolatito an agent of Kwalishanga’, ‘So, Inspector Daniel had patronised Kwalishanga before’ ‘Was it had a premonition, trance or deja vu Inspector Daniel had as he challenged his wife’ ‘What was its purpose in the film’? Most of these questions might have been resolved had the film begun with an interesting backstory montage of maybe Inspector Daniel’s and Bolatito’s childlessness, or how Kingsley and Bolatito met. I must say that I didn’t like the handling of Pius, the (presumably) teenage son of the Inspector, who was made to go through every ugly detail of his parents’ messy (past) relationships. I think this should have been done more subtly.
Finally, I’d like to talk about the characterisation of Joshua, played by Femi Adebile. I feel he’s been “sidelined” to the role of a mediator, which makes the film devoid of his personal story. In Blood Bank, we see how attempts by Kingsley to lure him into the coven of Kwalishanga fail, and how he himself overcomes insecurities of his background in a captivating scene used as a teaser before its release in 2020. In the sequels though, he only comes in as the resolver of conflict which makes him seem a bit less of a stakeholder in the main plot.
In any case, Blood Bank 3 shows us the power of forgiveness and one thing is certain: when Jesus tells us in Matthew 5 not to get angry with anyone without a cause, to refrain from calling our brother ‘fool’ or cursing him, to drop our offerings at the altar if someone has something against us, to pluck out and cut off the ‘good’ eye or hand respectively that causes us to sin, to turn the other cheek, to pray for those who persecute us and to love our enemies, it’s very clear that God wants us to stay away from all forms of strife and unforgiveness. Whatever grudge it is we have against anyone is not worth the trouble at all. I pray that in Jesus name, God will help us all to be, as much as lies within us, at peace with all men.
Alright, we’ve come to the end of this review. Have you seen Blood Bank 3? What did you think about it? Please let me know in the comments section below.
Click this link to watch the movie: https://youtu.be/wB5m_5FjnsA
Till the next article, stay blessed!