Oloture: The Journey – Another Dull Sequel That Never Arrives

After much anticipation, the sequel to the 2020 Ebony Life Studios and Netflix collaboration, ‘Oloture,’ finally hit Netflix. Expectations were high following the success of its predecessor and the cliffhanger ending. However, after watching ‘Oloture: The Journey,’ a limited series comprising three thirty-minute episodes, the verdict on whether it was worth our time remains uncertain. Let’s dive into it.

Plot

The series picks up where the movie left off, with Ehi en route to Europe after narrowly escaping human traffickers. Her journey, however, takes unexpected turns as she fights for survival. Meanwhile, back in Lagos, pressure mounts on the human trafficking network from various fronts.

This plot is a natural progression from the prequel, highlighting the ripple effects of Ehi’s actions. Unfortunately, the execution falls short. Character motivations are unclear, events seem to occur randomly, and the storyline lacks coherence.

The plotline that suffered the most was Beauty’s; she managed to escape from the human trafficking ring, returned home, and yet still decided that another journey to Europe was her best course of action.

Story

The story introduced numerous unresolved situations, leaving us with more questions than answers. Tony faces pressure from Antonio, his human trafficking contact, for being short two girls. He also received threats from a rival trafficking network that attempted to kill Ehi and Peju, who managed to survive the incident.

Alero is threatened by Sir Phillip who somehow killed Ehi’s colleague Emeka and got his hands on her notebook which has the entire story including the fact that he had raped her.

By the series’ end, we know that Ehi and her traveling companions made it to the sea through the desert, but their journey to Europe remains uncertain. Tony appears to have resolved his immediate issues, yet this is just one piece of a larger puzzle.

Additionally, Alero is now in direct contact with Antonio. None of the events at the end of the series feel like a resolution of any sort and there was also no climax, the story could have been better written.

Performances

Despite the shortcomings of the story, some actors deliver commendable performances. Sharon Ooja and Beverly Osu stand out as Ehi and Peju, respectively. Sharon Ooja’s portrayal of Ehi captures a constant look of fear, while Beverly Osu’s Peju exudes a confident yet scared demeanor. Both actresses convey deep emotion through their acting, making their suffering palpable even in moments of silence.

Daniel Etim-Effiong convincingly portrays Tony, while Omoni Oboli’s performance as Alero is lackluster and arguably her weakest role. Stan Nze and Amara Onoh playing Ghanaians was an interesting choice.

Stan Nze’s performance as Ben was unconvincing; it was unclear whether he was to portray a character of mixed Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage, and his established prominence as an actor did not contribute positively to his portrayal; casting an actual Ghanaian might have been more effective. On the other hand, Amara Onoh’s portrayal of Andrew was believable and well-executed.

Bucci Franklin’s role as Silver Blade felt repetitive, eliciting no strong emotions. It was a performance we’ve seen from him multiple times, offering nothing new. Bukola Oladipupo’s portrayal of Beauty felt boring, likely due to the story rather than her acting abilities.

Technical Aspects

The location was impressive, offering spectacular views. The scene with the bus being shot at looked great, particularly the car flip and explosion after Ehi and Peju escaped. However, there were noticeable continuity errors. While revisiting a story years later can be challenging, the discrepancies in Ehi and Beauty’s hair in the first episode were too obvious to ignore. Despite these issues, it remains a nicely shot series.

Final Thoughts

When a character as pivotal as Emeka from the prequel dies, it’s crucial to provide viewers with clarity. Unfortunately, this plot point was handled poorly. By the end of episode two, it was evident the story was going nowhere, which was highly disappointing.

After everything Ehi experienced in the previous movie, one would expect her to show more wisdom, but she remained surprisingly naive. While it’s understandable that she was thrust into a volatile situation, some character growth was expected given all she had seen and endured. Finally, we’re uncertain about the rationale behind releasing this sequel as a series, but we believe it would have fared better as a movie.

Verdict

The series ends on a cliffhanger, leaving room for a possible continuation, but it would be best if they just left it alone. It could have ended with the original movie. We give this 2 out of 5. ‘Oloture: The Journey’ is currently streaming on Netflix if you want to check it out.

Rating: 2/5

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Uju Okosieme

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