Shanty Town

I didn't expect this series to be so good. In terms of production, visuals, plot, script, acting has improved massively from the old days of BEN channels. Nollywood is like Bollywood to be a force to be reckoned to Hollywood. However, I was thoroughly entertained with unexpected plots and suspense. The harsh reality on how power can corrupt absolutely from the political arena, which can correlate to real life situation. The A-class cast from The King of Boys such as Sola Sobowale really smashed it. The series does provide a unique twist, with the underground black market, and forced prostitution which correlates on how there are more slaves in the world than transatlantic slavery with political involvement in the continent of Africa. However, it shows the other dark side of prostitution, which is different to sex workers who really enjoy their trade with individual choice to make a living.

Shanty town helps to offer an insight into the lives of the corrupt, with a plot that gives it a strong base. Filled with impeccable acting and nerve wracking moments. Shanty Town is a must see. It starts off fiery but is perfectly paced, as the show goes on you see that.

Each character has a reason for doing what they do and their personal goals and vendetta all collide. Episode one gives us a teaser of what is to come and the further episodes help to build on that in as much as the gore or nude scenes may not be too everyone's liking it is certainly a key component of the show as it helps us understand the world of Shanty Town.

This is one of those adequately budgeted, for-show Nigerian production that's supposed to represent the country in the international market. Unfortunately, this show is below par, maybe by nigerian movie standards it's a masterpiece but still, it is mediocre. The biggest culprit here is the writing, the writing is so poor and unable to produce a coherent storyline and good dialogue. The pacing both moves slow and fast. Characters are cliches almost to the point of caricatures. Most of them lack any depth. But one could say the saving grace here is the performances? But not all tho, Chidi Mokeme as Scar was sublime, inhabiting his character wholly and embracing his eccentricities. He was actually enjoyable to watched but was a bit one dimensional. His character wasn't given much to work with. Ini Edo is up for the task but more often than not she overacts and her character is also quite predictable. Nse Ikpe-Etim as Ene was one of the better performers, she was understated with her performance and played quite a bit complex character. An awful performance, however, comes from Peter Okoye who played Femi. Peter can't act to save his life, good singer but terrible actor! As for the technical aspects, I thought the cinematography was good; the lighting was well done but the editing could be better, at some point I thought I was a watching a music video; scenes jumped from one scene to other with no explanation. People sometimes magically appear in places they shouldn't be. There was an attempt for fight choreography which was partially enjoyable but also somewhat embarassing to watch given how poorly done it was. The practical effects in the opening sequence was however excellent and praiseworthy. The story was predictable and formulaic, there's also the incorporation of supernatural elements which was random and out-of-place for the realistic tone the show is going for. Some of the nudity and violence were gratuitous and serve no purpose to the story. The ending could be better, it tidied up quickly but also make sure to tease the audience of a second season. My advice? For the second season; hire good writers, a director that can be able to put everything together well, and a coherent storyline.

Shanty town is a fantastic movie in general with beautiful story line, fantastic casting and fantastic roles interpretation I love shanty town and it is the best movie from nollywood right now, i will like to recommend that everyone should see this beautiful work.the writers, producers, directors and every member of the cast and crew brought their A game on. Chidi mokeme immersed himself in that character, you'd most likely forget what he looks like in real life. Lost in the character, perfect performance. The movie has a good message and a relatable lesson. Will give it 10/10 Nollywood to the world.

There are some key issues that prevent this series from accomplishing its goals and here they are broken down:

1, Action sequences They are baaad. One move somehow is chopped into 4 different cuts with outrageously bad sound effects. This would be find on its own but in the opening salvo there are literal anti-tank mines going off all over the place seemingly for no reason!

2, The premise It suffers from horrible character development and a lack of agency from any of the supposed leads. Instead of having one or two characters drive the story, you have a mess of underdeveloped would be protagonists all pulling in different directions. By the end you're as confused as you were when the E1 started.

3, Effects The sound doesn't work, if anything it irritates you and pulls you out of whatever engagement you're able to cultivate - but it pales in comparison to the mediocre visual effects. I will concede this is a Nollywood film so you're not exactly expecting much but even by those standards it manages to disappoint.

If you can get over those issues, which I had a hard time doing then you're in for literal torturous viewing.