Far from Home

Far from home looks like a glorified high budget elementary school production written and directed by an imaginative 10 year old. It is truly ridiculous with a plot that lacks direction is uncoordinated , with loopholes that defy common sense.

It is packed with a star studded cast who's talents are undermined by amateur script writing and terrible directing. The series desperately tries to embody western young high school troupes but ends up being pretentious and sometimes downright cringe. The characters lacked depth and are unlikeable particularly the protagonist. The series ends in a rushed and an anti climatic manner and one is left truly feeling like their time has been wasted

A truly terrible series in every sense.

Far from home managed to garner a lot of attention even before it was released on Netflix, so it's no shocker that the young adult series blitzed its way to the top of Netflix's viewership charts, but, is it worth all the hype?

Far from home tries to thrive on the novelty of being Netflix's first Nigerian young adult series, and in doing so, poorly borrows from all the tropes that the genre is known for. The first episode opens deftly, trying to display the background of the protagonist and how he manoeuvres his way into Wilmer Academy (a school for the one-percenters), but everything goes downhill from here. Far from home is unabashedly centred on its protagonist, and seeing the sprawling number of supporting characters, removes the individuality of the supporting characters and doesn't propel character development.

The themes approached by the series are half-baked at best. The plot is messy, convoluted and filled with plotholes, and most egregiously, it builds up to a climax that's rushed.

The redeeming quality Far from home has is in its cast, locations and cinematography. The cast is a good blend of upcoming actors and a-list actors; Far from home also handles its cast carefully, making sure that the renowned actors (which it has a lot of, throwing them into cameos and smaller roles) don't overshadow the newbies. The cast can also be praised for bringing the best out of the poorly fleshed story they had to work with.

In all, Far from home is binge-able and enjoyable but its innumerable flaws would leave a bad taste, especially given how much better it could have been.

I actually have stopped halfway watching to really express how this show is soo good! Am kenyan.... Our film industry has yet to reach to such heights... This is honestly a 10/10 for me.. Very impressed!.. I cant actually really express how impressed I am.. The African film industry is growing... South Africa was the first... With blood and water.. Zulu and the bones films... Now Nigeria is here.... This is a perfect master piece... Am happy for Africa.... I just hope us Kenyans can effectively contribute to the African film industry... To the director and the cast.... Good work... Kudos!... Well done!

The emergence of the first young adult series from Nigeria to debut on Netflix marks a significant milestone in the country's entertainment industry. However, despite this achievement, certain aspects of the show might raise concerns among viewers, particularly regarding the apparent overuse of adapted concepts from other sources.

One of the noticeable criticisms is the utilization of themes and elements that seem borrowed or reminiscent of existing concepts. For instance, the incorporation of cheerleading, certain hairstyles, and even the uniform aesthetics that resemble those seen in the South African series "Blood and Water" may trigger a sense of déjà vu among audiences. This replication of ideas might detract from the show's originality and leave viewers questioning the creativity and uniqueness of the series.

On a positive note, the series boasts a stunning cast and impressive cinematography, which contribute significantly to its appeal. The visual presentation, combined with the charismatic performances of the actors, adds a layer of allure to the show. Additionally, the plot, while not exceptional, manages to maintain an "okay" level of intrigue, providing enough substance to keep viewers engaged.

I will play the devils advocate and at least say the series showed moments of promise but never delivered on that promise which was a big disappointment given the strong cast.

The cinematography and production design was the only redeeming qualities. As for the story it was poor, illogical,cringe and hard to watch. The fact that the creators decided to be derivative with the western way of high-school drama made me cringe because we have our own unique stories and experiences that haven't been given chance to flourish on the screen, only when we realise our stories are important can we truly create genuine art that do come off as pretentious.