Movie review: Iyabo Ojo brings Nigeria and Tanzania together with The Return of Arinzo (Recommended)

The Return of Arinzo is actress Iyabo Ojo’s latest movie about revenge carried out by someone thought to be dead, whose reappearance reignites old conflicts and leads to action, drama, and suspense.

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Directed and starring Iyabo Ojo, this movie parades fresh faces alongside so many A-List actors that we had to consult Google to get their names to ensure everyone was covered.

Cast: Olukanmi Abayomi, Nenesenor Abloso, Iwalola Adekugbe, Enioluwa Adeoluwa, Ayo Adesanya Hassan, Juwon Agboola, Mercy Aigbe, Funke Akindele, Bimbo Akintola, Omowunmi Aloba, Fisayo Amodemaja, Adjetey Anang, Uzor Arukwe, Juwon Ayorinde, Zainab Bakare, Abdulmalik Bashiru, William Benson, Kiitan Bukola, Lam Chris Chidubem, Muka Ray Eyiwumi, Yomi Fash-Lanso, Fuad Ferdinand, Diva Gold, Scarlet Gomez, Balewa Bala Hamzat, Nasma Hassan, (as Nana Dollz), Chioma Ikokwu, Chioma Ikokwu, Seun Sean Jimoh, Jux, (as Juma Jux), Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patrick Kanumba, Ogunro Kudirat, Prisca Lyimo, Funky Mallam, Priscilla Mkambala, Binta Ayo Mogaji, Yakubu Mohammed, Anthony Nwahiri, Fatai Odua, Martins Ogbebor, Iyabo Ojo, Iyabo Ojo, Sharon Okeke, Oyinda Oladejo, Kayode Olaiya, Motunrayo Omoniyi, Zuhura Othman, Layole Oyatogun, Kehinde Quadri, Yinka Quadri, Abike Raheem, Yasir Diamond Sholagbade, Soso Soberekon, Azeezat Sorunmu, Fola Tinubu, Alaba Ultimate.

Synopsis: A rising actor returns home with his fiancée to support his father’s presidential campaign, but her arrival reignites a long-buried scandal tied to a powerful political figure.

As explosive revelations unfold, she’s pulled into a dangerous web of betrayal, forcing the truth behind Arinzo’s death and hidden identities into the open.

The Flaws

One thing we dislike about this movie is that it is a gathering of buddies, more like a consortium of actors regrouping to help out with the movie.

It didn’t seem like the actors were selected for their talent but for the relationship they hold with the producers. How do you explain the director also starring as the lead actor? The same director has her daughter and son-in-law starring in the movie.

Her daughter’s best friend also starred in the movie. The movie also uses her daughter’s marriage to a Tanzanian singer to try to bridge Nigeria and Tanzania. It’s almost as if the idea for the movie was fashioned following her daughter’s flamboyant wedding. If that is how Nollywood comes up with story ideas, then the industry might soon collapse for lack of substance.

Someone should tell Nollywood that it is not every time a gun is fired that fire comes out of the nozzle. If Nollywood movies must include scenes of fire coming out of a gun’s nozzle when fired, then the graphics ought to be perfect and realistic. In The Return of Arinzo, the graphics were so poor that it didn’t feel like shots were being fired, despite the accompanying sound effect. It was even more awkward watching the victims of the gunshots collapse in the movie. Their collapse was too coordinated that it looked very fake. That is what you get when actresses who should be making movies about market dramas are tasked with creating action films.

Nigerian movies about politics have never hit hard, even when the directors add so much drama. Politics is simply for intellectuals, which explains why it is boring to Gen Zs and market women who consume Nollywood content. The political aspect of this movie is not impressive.

If we dwell too much on the flaws of this movie, this article might come across as demarketing. So, let’s touch on the positives.

The Positives

The Return of Arinzo had amazing aerial shots that showcased Lagos in a positive light. One such aerial shot was of the campaign ground, where supporters of Marcus Williams trooped out to promote his electoral bid.

That particular scene blew us away because of the energy it delivered. Using a well-designed bus as a stage for the campaigners was a good idea. Holding the campaign in the middle of a busy market was also brilliant. However, the directors ought to have deployed more people to make the crowd at the campaign ground less scanty.

Despite our criticism of how Iyabo Ojo came to create her Nigeria-Tanzania bridge, we still believe it is a brilliant idea that could grow into the kind of unity the Nigerian and Ghanaian movie industries enjoyed in the late 90s and early 2000s.

It will be a nice move if this movie is marketed or shown in cinemas in Tanzania, since it stars one of their best singers, Juma Jux.

We did a quick check of the kinds of movies shown in Tanzanian cinemas and found that they are all Hollywood movies. This means the country might lack a thriving movie industry.

The Return of Arinzo, if marketed in Tanzania, could open Tanzanians’ eyes to their potential and to possible collaborations with Nollywood.

Is The Return of Arinzo recommendable? Yes. Except for the politics, which we consider poorly put together, this movie delivers the right amount of drama and action to keep you glued. It gets a 7/10.