Witness Gospel Movie Reviews

“ONIYANGI” REVIEW

Hey, folks! You’re welcome to this review of the newest seasonal gospel movie titled “Oniyangi: The Destiny Changer”. It is a five-episode series that takes you on quite a journey that climaxes in its finale, which makes the individual parts building up to it worthwhile.

“Oniyangi” gives the viewer a treat of one of the most consistent displays of aerial cinematography, with suitable music to accompany it. The film has two layers of plot and uses these aesthetics to oscillate between them. Along with its beautiful scenery (rightly shot on a Black Magic Design as indicated in the end credits), it’s a visual delight for the most time. Similarly, it occasionally makes use of an otherworldly scene which had quite impressive effects/backgrounds. Generally thus, the movie ensures you have a high-quality production to feast your eyes upon.

Partly situated in a Nigerian cultural setting, “Oniyangi” devotes some time to exhibiting a bit of the richness of the Yoruba culture, particularly the hunters’ rendition of their ‘occupational number’ called ijala. Likewise, the eagle-eye shots displayed the beauty of villages and hamlets in some rural settings.

This series takes its time to build the story, and I think this is ultimately rewarding in its final episodes. It does something that I consider most remarkable by fishing in uncommon Biblical story waters to bring out a powerful point that is very pertinent to us in this day. It is quite some revelation that has been staring us in the face for a long time, which we may not have paid attention to. The fact remains though, that when we know the truth, it brings the freedom that we might have desired for the longest period of time (John 8:32).

Furthermore, it captures the nature of relationship between certain Biblical characters that I had never really thought of before. What might have seemed like a simple conversation between two brothers in that story is shown as a moment with so much gravity that it would transcend that age into those to come. Hence, “Oniyangi” brings a fresh perspective to this Biblical narrative, and I am always up for one.

I always like scenarios where the audience is made to see more than what the characters know: a situation where we’re rooting for the protagonist who unfortunately makes the wrong choice. The protagonist in “Oniyangi”, Mayokun, played by Olasunkanmi Solomon, does so, but in all that, I saw God’s hand of love still drawing him close. I also noted that only the Holy Spirit can give us the grace to keep going after lost sheep after they’ve rebuffed our several attempts to reach out to them.

Those earlier-applauded aerial shots were however one too many in my opinion, and this happens when the typical notion of establishment is not improvised upon. There are other technical and notional transitions and ways in which this can be done, such that it won’t take the sting out of the narrative. Also, I would have loved to have seen some interesting aspects of that Biblical story portrayed, for they would have been achieved only through creative special effects.

In a time when gospel movie series are really coming up, “Oniyangi” is another entry that would bless your life as you watch it. It has premiered today, Saturday, March 4, 2023, on DIGEM TV channel on YouTube; the link to Episode 1 is here. Ensure you click the notification bell, so that you’ll be alerted once a new episode drops. Thank you.

Till the next article, stay blessed!

Film Credits

Oniyangi: The Destiny Changer (Streaming March 4, 2023)

30 minutes/episode

DIGEM Films

Cast

Olasunkanmi Solomon as Mayokun

Adetona Oluwakayode as Oniyangi

Abigail Adedare as Mrs Pariola

Rotimi Amodu as Mr Pariola

Mike Taiwo as Akinlabi

Crew

Writer

Adedare John Olusegun

Cinematographer

Sesan Afolayan

Music

Oluwashayo Ade

Editor

Komolafe Hezron

Director

Adedare John Olusegun

“MIEDO” REVIEW

Miedo is a movie that treats the theme of fear and its negative repercussions on our lives. This is done through the life of Joke, played by Omolara Ayoola. While she is a believer, she sometimes comes across to me as rather unkind, and this shows itself most whenever she is fearful. The movie makes it clear that being afraid would only limit us from getting the best from God. Also, the benefits of openness in courtship are highlighted here.

The standout character for me was Ololade Okedare’s Jessica, who was a nemesis for the hero, Tunde, played by Kayode Babalola. Though the film was interesting, I could not but imagine a character-driven rather than an event-propelled story producing a better movie. The attempts at her backstory didn’t eventually do it for me largely due to the sound design that unnecessarily played background tunes to virtually every dialogue, jumbled multiple diverse sounds together, and most consequentially, occasionally made key dialogue inaudible. In retrospect, one of Miedo’s original soundtracks – with a hard rock form – would have been a solid and creative foundation to build other scores on.

I humbly state areas in need of improvement because I believe the production and distribution companies at work here are top-class and aim to produce movies of high quality. One of such aspects is a first for me in terms of constructive criticism: the title Miedo. It was subtitled “Brace yourself” at the beginning, but interpreted as the Spanish word for ‘fear’ at the end. More than the needless quasi-discrepancy in that, that line of dialogue was unrealistic for me, as Spanish is not a language the average genius Nigerian picks off the streets. Hence, foregrounding Tunde’s seeming knowledge of Spanish might have made it more credible.

Still in line with credibility, Tunde’s and Joke’s wedding and accident scenes were not convincingly executed. Similarly, I suspect the screenplay of Miedo would have needed some updating because firstly, I find it difficult to grasp an elite in this age being ignorant of what a drone is, and secondly, due to some old common quotes on fear being registered as her thoughts, which made her epiphany unlikely to me.

Lastly, there were (perhaps) key continuity issues responsible for events such as the baffling killing of the corps members, Tunde’s transition from the jaws of death to junior management, from his house to the den to kidnappers, and then to succour. All these just don’t add up for me, and fading to black in multiple scenes isn’t standard practice in my opinion.

When due attention is given to these things, our productions would be much better.

The link to the movie https://youtu.be/sA17oCjsgSg

Till the next review, stay blessed!

Film Credits

Miedo (YouTube – February 2, 2023)
TM Pictures
87 minutes

Cast
Lara Ayoola as Joke
Daramola Kayode Babalola as Tunde
Ololade Okedare as Jessica
Adedamola Salako as Wale
Sola Oyin-Adejobi as Mr Ilésanmí

Crew
Story – Israel Akinlawon
Screenplay – Tola Bolaji
Cinematographer – Kunle Adepoju
Editor – Abiola “Nattytunez” Babatola
Director – Daramola Kayode Babalola

“DEATH SENTENCE” REVIEW

Death Sentence is a 76-minute movie with a powerful message that all children of God would be blessed with. It addresses the transition made by humans from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light, with practical illustrations that show what to do with subsequent attacks the enemy might launch on us.

In Priscilla Shirer’s words, one of the main ways the enemy will paralyse, disable and disarm the people of God is to put the burden of guilt and shame on them. However, the weight of our sins is no longer ours to bear because our Saviour took it all. The devil knows that if we really grab hold of that truth, then we’ll really be victorious. And the battlefield is between our ears – our minds. Death Sentence thus fortifies us against the wiles of the enemy.

The film knows the message it wants to pass across to its viewers and focuses on that throughout, maybe at the expense of its story in my opinion. I feel that Death Sentence sat on a goldmine of characters that would have developed a very beautiful story. The relationship between Vivian and Williams shown at the end would have been a very nice callback, had it been explored at the beginning, and had it formed the premise upon which the story was built.

The high quality of the poster, as well as the impressive picture quality of the movie and its intentional cinematography are signs of improvements to happen in movies from PREM Film Production International this year.

The link https://youtu.be/nEMQPFuUiUo

Film Credits

Death Sentence (January 22, 2023)
PREM Film Production International
76 minutes

Cast
Rebecca Femi Adebile as Vivian
Joseph Opadele as Appolyon
Adebisi-Adesewa Arogunjo as Sophia
Oluwaseunarafunmi Alabi as Pastor Henry
Femi Adebile as Seraph

Crew
Director
Femi Adebile
Screenplay
Femi Adebile
Director of Photography
Francis Fashikun
Editor
Victor Oladejo

“BURNING THRONE” REVIEW

Burning Throne is a film project embarked on by the Fejosbaba Talent Workshop, a group of students with a certificate in filmmaking in a training organized by PREM Film Production International. It commendably makes use of its numerous cast to create a story that spans across two kingdoms and approximately forty years of temporal setting. This accrued into an uncommon 162 minutes of running time, released at once, which was a bold move.

The movie’s world comprises a battle of supremacy and inter-village relationships. For me, Adeola’s journey to the throne is the core of this story and does well to chronicle his alignment with his identity, sort of in the way every child of God needs to sync with God’s perception of us. Another aspect of Burning Throne that signals an upward trajectory is the sound design with better transitions and propriety of usage.

On the flip side, if the expanse of the story was inspired by the potential magnitude of the cast, then I would say that the Yeye Moore subplot might have been dispensable. This would have created a more focused story with a more manageable duration. There are greater heights this Workshop will yet reach with improvements over time.

The link https://youtu.be/9MzlB7IeDzk

Film Credits

Burning Throne (January 15, 2023)
FEJOSBABA Talent Workshop
162 minutes

Cast
Olusegun Adewale as Adeola
Muyiwa Omatara as Adeyemi
Afolabi Dipeolu as King of Owuwa
Adekunle Idowu as King of Kukuma
Deborah Adeola as Yeye Moore

Crew
Director
Adeoye Omoniyi

Story
Abiodun Ogundipe

Director of Photography
Fashikun Francis

Editor
Fashikun Francis

“BROS” REVIEW

Hey folks! How are you all doing? This is one review that I’m so excited to be doing because it’s such a good watch. After a postponement in its release from the last day of last year to January 6, 2023, “Bros” has stormed the internet with something special. As a gospel movie reviewer, I’m constantly on the lookout for new, creative takes on the Christian film genre. 2022 was largely devoid of this, but in only the early days of this new year, things are seriously looking up, for “Bros” is truly a unique endeavour. So, what makes this movie special?

Make no mistake, a key genre of “Bros” is comedy and to stick to that through nearly all its runtime without compromising its message is a laudable achievement. This wasn’t comedy just for the sake of amusement, but on every occasion, incredibly propelled the plot. I’d like to appreciate John Oguntuase who conceived the story and directed the movie, as well as the screenwriter, Ayo “Cineman” Olaleye who also wrote the curtain raiser motion picture for this year, “Borrowed Time”. I believe it’d bless both the body of Christ and any movie lover out there who doesn’t yet understand what Jesus has in store for His followers.

From the outset, I could tell that the crew of “Bros” have a proper understanding of the art of filmmaking. The opening sequence of scenes and credits was on-point. The music department did very well and their work is a major reason the film’s humour landed each time. If the distasteful repetition of original soundtracks at the beginning of every scene, common to some Christian movies, had been adopted, most of its humour would have been dead on arrival, rooting the movie’s mood to a spot. The scores by David Eziolisa were memorable and accentuated each atmosphere portrayed in the film.

Characterisation-wise, the poster picture of “Bros” rightly designates Dede, Glory and Tobi as leads. The two heros, played by Pastors Seyi Obembe and Abolaji Adeola, shared a commendable on-screen chemistry and it’s remarkable that most of their dialogue is in pidgin English. These two outdid themselves to reflect their profane, unbelieving characters who went as far as learning Christianese to accomplish their target. And herein lies one of the key messages of “Bros”, particularly for genuine children of God: there are evil, unscrupulous men out there, there are wolves ready to devour sheep, and there are lions and bears primed to carry away naïve or negligent lambs. Therefore, we need to be as shrewd as a snake and inoffensive as a dove. We need to follow our Shepherd, the only One who knows what is in the heart of every man.

The heroine, Glory, played by Abiola Jinadu, shows the gentleness, gullibility, vulnerability and confusion of her character well. Her sincerity in prayer for God’s help and her recognition of her pastoral covering open the door of safety from danger to her. I believe unbelieving men would see “Bros” and see as in Dede’s case, that God has arms open for every lost person in the world when they come to Him. The movie also spreads its tentacles in a remarkably concise manner to Dare’s choice in a display of wisdom that would make him enjoy both his calling and courtship. I’m quite sure that this is one movie that I would watch multiple times and get new insights on each viewing.

The six-minute montage that ends “Bros” was beautiful and said so much without a word; the movie understands the “Show, Don’t Tell” principle. Lastly, “Bros” attempts something I doubt has ever been done in any Nigerian Christian movie, and that’s to have a mid-credits scene that acts as either a wonderful cliffhanger or a very meaningful open plot-end that in a way, is a warning of the last days. That was just wow…

If you’ve watched the movie, you’d have seen the ad for the producer’s next film – a potentially high concept movie titled PRᴁY – and with what we’ve seen in “Bros”, it’s going to be a quality production that would require a lot of finances. I’d therefore like to lend my voice to their request for partnership and sponsorship. So, as the Lord blesses us, I urge us to support drama ministries with our resources, so that gospel film production outfits can keep reeling out quality stuff like this.

In conclusion, beneath the comic surface of “Bros” lies deep, heart-touching lessons. I would say it quite achieves a necessary balance between entertainment, edification, enlightenment and salvation.

What are you waiting for? If you haven’t seen it, click on this link https://youtu.be/Ix0c44trd1w. If you have, please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below. Thank you very much.

Till the next article, stay blessed!

Film Credits

Bros (January 6, 2023)
2^nd Touch Production
84 minutes

Cast

Seyi Obembe as Dede

Abolaji Adeola as Tobi

Abiola Jinadu as Glory

Seun Adejumobi as Dare

Abiodun Bamgbala as Pastor Akande

Crew

Director

John Oguntuase

Screenplay

Ayo “Cineman” Olaleye

Director of Photography

Kunle Adepoju

Editor

Adisa Tijani

“BORROWED TIME” REVIEW

Hey folks! You’re welcome to the first feature film review of 2023, and I can tell you it’s a good one. “Borrowed Time” was YouTube-released on January 1 and is a worthwhile curtain raiser for the year. If other productions in 2023 will look anything like this movie, then we’re in for a really good year.

“Borrowed Time” is only forty minutes long, just above the threshold of a short film, but it’s loaded with enough technicality for a ninety-minute motion picture. Everything about its first few minutes hooked me in – the poetic opening narration was flowery, its italicized lettering spoke intentionality, the opening establishment shot was mind-boggling, the opening credits font style was specialised for the movie’s concept, the background sound, though a few times overshadowing lines, felt dreamy, and the oscillations between times were just brilliant.

I read a book by the director on screenwriting “Breadcrumbs” a few months ago, and it was an enlightening experience for me. When I saw that he would be producing a movie of his own, I eagerly awaited what “Borrowed Time” would deliver. My verdict is that he and the screenwriter did with this movie what only seasoned directors do – try new things that produce refreshing results. I think the most impressive thing this feature does is its optimisation of time passage to deliver a solid callback towards the denouement, all the more solidifying our interest in the characters. I sincerely hope all Christian movies this year will do the needful to get the audience to care about their characters.

The reformative power of this movie is beautiful to watch, even showing itself in an unexpected quarter, in a surprisingly deep way. The imagery that stood out the most for me was that dealing with the devil is the reverse of Matthew 6:33 – he’ll take that very important thing first, and all other things will be subtracted from the person. He does this to the protagonist, Otunba Femi, played by Kayode Babalola, and we’re left to wish he’d just waited a little longer. The scriptures teach us in Psalm 27:14 how to wait for God – patiently and confidently. I pray the Holy Spirit will empower us to do this as we anticipate God’s promised blessings on us.

Seeing Otunba’s son, Wale, and making clearer the protagonist’s connection to the prostitute, and the leverage she had on Doctor Dan would have lent more credence to the movie though. In a nutshell, “Borrowed Time” is a brilliant movie that is worth your time and will bless you.

If you’ve seen it, please share with me your thoughts on it in the comments section below. The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/Ydga9Jf6B80.

Till the next article, stay blessed!

Film Credits

Borrowed Time (January 1, 2023)
JOGAM Pictures
40 minutes

Cast
Kayode Babalola as Otunba
Seyi Pedro-Adetola as Funmi
Victor Olukoju as Pastor Ojo
Adekunle Idowu as Atanda
Richard Omidiwura as DPO
Stephen Olawoore as Officer

Director
Kayode Babalola
Screenplay
Ayo “Cineman” Olaleye
Director of Photography
Kunle Adepoju
Editor
Tomipe Oluwaferanmi

“MY DREAM 2” REVIEW

Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of “My Dream 2”, written by Evangelist Gloria Bamiloye and directed by Evangelist Richard Omidiwura. I remember the pleasant atmosphere generated by the first part and I’m pleased to say that this sequel is even more so. With Mama Tunde and Tunde now on the Lord’s side, we get to see Christ at work more in this film, but the conflict arises naturally from a situation that predates the original film.

“My Dream 2” touches as many aspects as “My Dream”, and Mr Ishola’s is very pertinent, as it addresses some feedback I got from the resolution of the latter: What does he as a child of God do with two wives? The consequences and ripple effect of, as well as the way forward and possibilities of God’s peace in that situation are portrayed in this movie.

Mama Tunde’s subplot, if I may call it that, looks into how she manages her relationship with her parents who had been the ones fueling the fire of ungodliness and evil in her life. Since they can no longer sin together with her, they inevitably sin against her, and we know what happens to the enemies of God’s people.

Tunde also has returning demons to deal with; thankfully, he now has a godly mother who lets him in on the efficacy of God’s word. The scenes involving him and her showed me how indeed, we as God’s children literally need God’s word like oxygen to truly be alive. Tunde’s choice not only changed him but one of his girlfriends from “My Dream”, which signifies how our decisions have the potential for positive impact on others.

With cameos from music minister Lawrence Oyor, and veteran drama minister, Evangelist Shola Mike-Agboola reprising his role as Teacher, “My Dream 2” is a heartfelt, pleasing viewing.

Alright, we’ve come to the end of this review. You can share the lessons you got from it in the description below.
The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/_SG0zMTAyW0

Till the next article, stay blessed!

“SURRENDER” REVIEW

Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of “Surrender”, a feature film from One Goal Academy. It was written and directed by Dupe Olorunjo.

“Surrender” is a truly remarkable movie. The first thing that struck me about it is the fact that it is a sequel, to a short movie “12 Years and a Day”, an adaptation of a Biblical story. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a short film having a feature-length second part before, at least, as far as gospel film production is concerned. So, that got me really interested. The first movie itself was a blessing to me: a creative retelling with realistic dialogue, effective delivery of lines and credible acting. This was replicated in “Surrender”, along with its skillful optimization of numerable cast.

Just when I was beginning to think that I might have seen it all this year in terms of top quality gospel movies, “Surrender” has come on the scene with a production in which the power and presence of God are palpable. First off, it gives you a story you can relate to, and I can’t stress how important it is for gospel movies to do this. The medium called film is one that should be intrinsically engaging; hence, no Christian film ought to be boring, more so in this Computer Age. We’re not talking about merely making the audience laugh; it’s about immersing them in a production through careful storytelling. “Surrender” goes further to give virtually every character an arc that would touch you in one way or another.

The best faith-based movies I’ve seen this year have either moved me to amazement, godly introspection, faith, prayer or action; this one moved me to tears, a renewed consciousness of God’s presence and a yearning for the kind of relationship God wants with His children, and many more. “Surrender” is itself an adaptation, and it’s amazing how the writer has linked up the two stories in the franchise, so far.

Conclusively, “Surrender”, along with “12 Years and a Day”, is a movie I would recommend that you watch 200%.

Alright, we’ve come to the end of this review. Have you seen “Surrrender”? What did you think about it? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. The links to both movies are below:

12 Years and a Day https://youtu.be/d13J0wkSjG4
Surrender https://youtu.be/F1DnN02TaY4

Till the next article, stay blessed!

“AFFLICTION PERMITTED 2” REVIEW

Affliction Permitted 2 shares a similar thematic preoccupation with its original movie, which, in my own words, is the importance of being in alignment with God’s will for our lives. It shows that a different positioning could spell doom even in the lives of God’s people if not quickly redirected. And this is true: we cannot claim to be genuine children of God if we do not obey Him. That would only mean that we worship Him with our lips, while our hearts are far from Him.

This film’s plot, I would say, is rather harsh on its characters. A new persona, Faith, has her marital life begin Affliction Permitted 2: Despite God revealing His marital “choices” to her, they inexplicably end up getting married to other ladies. Her epiphany dictates that she has been spiritually lethargic, and within the first third of the movie, this conflict is resolved. What this sequel tells the audience contradicts what it shows us about Faith: I feel that if nothing else, she exhibits unwavering trust in God after years of marital disappointment. That God would reveal His will to her and then keep mute about a supposed lack of fervency is utterly unlikely. Making the matter direr, this subplot is completely inconsequential to the main plot and thus, should not have been included in the first place.

In the lives of the protagonists, Benedict and Loveth, Affliction Permitted 2 seemed to have forgotten where its original movie ended, thus causing ambiguity in its initial temporal settings. In retrospect, it was probably done in order to set up its villain’s motivation, which from the get-go I’d perceived to be a forced and cheap justification for such a core part of the movie’s conflict. It therefore bothers me that after all the crisis and resolution in Affliction Permitted, Benedict and Loveth experience more losses in this second movie, and the manner of it confounds me.

1Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God would not test us beyond our ability and would always make a way out. Furthermore, James 1:13 enlightens us that God does not tempt us with evil. How then could one of the God-representations in this movie say “Mission accomplished” after the greatest tragedy the couple had ever known befalls them? How could a person Jesus died for be compared to Job who didn’t have God’s promises in the covenant sealed with the precious blood of the Lamb? How would God lead Benedict to leave his ailing son to minister healing to another sick child whose diabolical father’s monetary gift would cause that son’s death, even after God had promised healing for him? I find these scenarios to be inconsistent with the scriptures.

Technically speaking, the sound design for movies could involve original soundtracks, non-copyright tunes and a skilful use of silence across different scenes; extended and repeated use of the same instrumentals is monotonic. Also, movies with God-characters need to get His costume, and grammaticality of His dialogue spot-on. On a general note as well, original films that point to a God-given assignment for the protagonist need to put in more effort to show the expanse of such tasks in their second parts.

It is my prayer that for subsequent productions, the story will be critically looked into, so that all nations will see God as He truly is – One in whom there is no darkness (1John 1:5).

The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/4UgfJ44Jves

Till the next article, stay blessed!

Film Credits

Affliction Permitted (2022)
GCDM Film Productions
99 minutes

Cast
Muyiwa Omotara as Benedict
Elizabeth Ozohu as Loveth
Grace Banigbe as Ruth
Oluwadamilola Abiodun as Faith
Boluwatife Omotara as Jane
Godwin Oluwasegun as Accuser

Director
Femi Adebile
Writer
Muyiwa Omotara ‘Chosen’
Cinematographer
Fashikun Francis
Editor
Ayomide Balogun

“BATTLE OF THE GATES” REVIEW

Battle of the Gates presents an expansive story about Anthony, a young man with the world at his fingertips, until he realizes how empty his life is without God. This discovery takes him down the route of salvation which presents challenges he’s not willing to face.

I’d love to point out that the publicity for this movie is one of the best I’ve seen in years. It had different poster pictures, two teasers and a countdown to its release. Adding a trailer or two to this set would make a perfect advertising combination in my opinion.

The feature does well to go the extra mile to establish a number of its characters. In a sense therefore, Battle of the Gates has the soul of a series. Its leisurely pace sufficiently shows us the world of our protagonist, whose life is further complicated when he is unfortunately deceived into thinking a Christian lifestyle endorses sinful living. When his friend in iniquity comes to the knowledge of Christ, and confronts demons Anthony has avoided, the tables turn and he becomes vengeful, wanting to prove that a holy Christian life isn’t possible. The conflict is set up nicely for its second part, which it works through to resolve.

Battle of the Gates outlines the paths available to every human in the world and admonishes us to go for that less-trod but eternally profitable way.

The links to the movie: https://youtu.be/X1R7hSqelsU https://youtu.be/hZptfk6UEwM

Film Credits

Battle of the Gates (2022)
Impact Global Ministries
174 minutes

Cast
Fiyinfolu CP Okedare as Anthony
Isaac Femi-Akintunde as Mr Kuti
Feyi Adeopoju as Mrs Kuti
John Oguntuase as Femi
Seun Adejumobi as Corporate
Esan Oluwatomi as Nike
Tobi Olumuyiwa as Pascal

Director
Damilola Fasesan
Writer
Damilola Fasesan
Cinematographer
Sesan Afolayan
Editor
Distinct Creative Media