(By Obianuju Okafor) - King of Boys had a lot to live up to from day one of its
announcement. Kemi Adetiba’s previous feature film project was the successful
Wedding Party film. That particular project had been a collaborative win with
EbonyLife Films tag teaming other major production houses – FilmOne
Distribution, Inkblot Productions and Koga studios – and all of them together
trusting the project to the hands of the director who had, for the most part,
cut her teeth directing music videos. She delivered then, and it’s easy to say
that with King of Boys she has performed an even greater feat.
An effective trailer built anticipation for King of Boys, and
the gangster royalty themed premiere managed to also heighten conversations
about what was to be expected. All this background is necessary to point out
the tall expectations that followed King of Boys, and why it is amazing that it
did not disappoint. There is a common Nigerian parlance used in discussing
films that have been well marketed and therefore well talked about prior to a
bulk of people actually seeing it. It is this concept of over-hyping, where
people who watch a movie after an explosion of compliments for it condition
their enjoyment by claiming that it is merely ‘okay’ and unable to live up to
the particular tall order or hype that had so far followed it.
