Labake Olododo, a Yoruba-language epic directed by Biodun Stephen, brings together a star-studded cast including Iyabo Ojo, Bimbo Akintola, Toyin Abraham, Femi Adebayo, Muyiwa Ademola, Broda Shaggi, Ibrahim Chatta, and Fathia Balogun. With such a powerful ensemble, expectations were high — but the film doesn’t quite live up to its promise.
Though primarily in Yoruba, Labake Olododo includes a few English-speaking scenes and is subtitled in English, making it accessible to a broader audience. However, families considering this film should be aware that it carries an 18+ rating due to scenes containing nudity and violence, rendering it unsuitable for younger viewers.
The film attempts to balance action, romance, and comedy, and while it offers moments of entertainment, its execution often falls flat. There’s a commendable effort in costume design, set decoration, makeup, and soundtrack, yet these elements sometimes feel excessive or forced. The visual effects are inconsistent — some scenes boast impressive CGI, while others appear rushed or poorly executed. Likewise, audio editing fluctuates in quality, occasionally pulling viewers out of the story.
Labake Olododo certainly had the ingredients for a standout Yoruba epic, but uneven production choices and technical missteps keep it from reaching its full potential.
I must commend the directors for the choice of actors used in this movie. I always enjoyed it whenever Nollywood brings together legends and newbies for a project. In this movie, the actors embraced their roles with great interpretation. However, I must state that Iyabo Ojo as Labake, the lead character, didn’t sit well with me because she most time pushed her acting beyond reality. But she did well in the emotional parts because she gave her all, which made me feel I was seeing the true Iyabo Ojo in the character.
Whoever wrote this movie should note that Nigerians aren’t ready for a superhero female warlord character like Labake. Our history hardly contained such. The narrative also finds it hard to stay connected. On one hand, Labake is portrayed as a warlord seeking to protect with honesty. However, she was later revealed to be vengeful against those who killed her father. I was also expecting a movie full of many war battles, as revealed in the trailer. Sadly, I was just met with romance, betrayals, village politics and wrong judgment. It also contains comedy, leaving me to wonder what I signed up for: an action film, a comedy or a romcom. The movie is an attempt to roll everything in one pot. The first hour of this movie might leave you scratching your head, hoping for clarity as it introduces side plots and character decisions that don’t always add up. The battle scenes were too poor. Sometimes the battlefield seemed too scanty, perhaps because the directors didn’t know how to choreograph such scenes.
I strongly believe that the reason why Labake Olododo is not getting hyped is because it lacks what it takes, compared to Lakatabu and also Ajakaju. At some point, I felt Iyabo Ojo put the movie together just to join the league of Nollywood actors who have released epic movies about the defunct Oyo Empire. The movie doesn’t deliver anything new that we haven’t seen before. Nothing makes it memorable. It gets a 6/10.
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