Review: Netflix’ Madam Koi Koi plays it too safe.
It’s either a horror film or it’s not
Here is Netflix’ Madam Koi Koi review
Madam Koi Koi Review
It would seem that Netflix Nigeria’s first original horror thriller is adapting one of the most original fictional stories in Nigeria ever. The legendary tale of the ghost in boarding schools that walks on one high-heeled shoes and scares students-Madam Koi Koi.
However, if there is anything more painful about a horror movie that doesn’t scare you, it’s a horror movie whose adaptation was fumbled. But before we start bashing what seems like a well-thought out backstory for a Nigerian horror thriller, let’s take a look at some of the upsides of Madam Koi Koi.
Madam Koi Koi review shows that the casting is commendable. The villain of the story Lashe, (character played by Chuks Joseph), plays the role in such an unapologetic way, that we begin to admire his dedication to his character.
Ireti Doyle’s portrayal of Mother Superior is shaky at first but she picks up few minutes after the movie begins. Amanda and her friend, Edna, seem to be actors having their first big screen moment, and while it takes some time getting used to them, we actually begin to fall in love with their acting. Overall, the acting seems to be splendid even down to the character of Madam Koi Koi itself (played by Omawumi Dada)
Setting
Madam Koi Koi review shows that it excels in setting. The setting of the movie is reminiscent of the tales heard about Madam Koi Koi in boarding schools. It’s a remote place, and the school itself is a catholic one, with Sister Ruth (character played by Chioma Akpotha) always praying for the evil of Madam Koi Koi to not resurface again. The setting is believable to a very large extent
Madam Koi Koi Review: The downsides
The Plot
While it seems as though the movie is trying to make viewers understand all that is going on, they literally spoon-feed the viewers in such a way that the thrill, excitement and fear that accompanies a horror movie is lost. The drama is too slow-paced and there is no space for viewers to fill in the gaps at any point. The movie falls into the ditch of Nollywood’s storytelling pattern.
First, this is a horror movie, there needs to be some unexplainable elements and frequent killings of characters that actually matter. After the death of ID at the beginning, the suspense of whether ID is dead or not holds on for the other characters so long that it begins to get exhausting to watch.
It is a 2-part movie, seeing as the first part is titled “The Awakening”. But then even for a first part, so much unnecessary dialogues and stretched-out event makes the movie more of a drama than a horror film.
Also, the origin of Madam Koi Koi itself, as presented in the movie, is a little shaky. Madam Koi Koi, as the tale is often told, loses her shoe and goes to boarding schools to look for it while scaring students. But it would seem this is no longer the case as Madam Koi Koi is not actually looking for her shoe, but is out on a mission of revenge after being possessed by an evil spirit few minutes after she is raped. So who are her targets exactly? Bad men only? Or Bad men that are students?
We hope the second part makes it clearer.
Of course there is room for expansion of backstory, but the believability of the adaptation might suffer if a more original storyline is not presented in the movie to go with what people already know.
After the first part, Madam Koi Koi does not offer an incentive of continuation, or a replay value for that matter. Let’s take a look at Netflix’ crime thriller- Blood Sisters. The end of the first part was as brutal and thrilling enough that viewers could not just but binge the whole series at once.
However, with Madam Koi Koi, it’s as though the filmmaker is holding back from presenting a true horror movie where we get to see the actual slashing and heinous killings. The gurgling of dying characters and quick movements of the killings are underwhelming at best. It’s as if the film wants to maintain an amount of appropriateness even with the killings.
It’s either a horror movie or it’s not.
There needs to be a recognition of the fact that boundary pushing art is unapologetic and is not afraid to get as creative or artistically free as possible. But, with Madam Koi Koi, there seems to be some unspoken rule it follows to try and play it safe.
The verdict remains that it is an unsatisfactory attempt at a thriller.
Rating: 5.9/10
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