House of Ga’a: Is this movie worth a watch?

House of Ga’a, directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters arrived on Netflix on July 26, 2024. This Nollywood film stars Femi Branch as Bashorun Ga’a, Mike Afolarin as Oyemekun, Funke Akindele as Ayinba, and Toyin Abraham as Edan Asiko among others.

House of Ga’a shows the corrupt and overpowered tendencies of Bashorun Ga’a during the 18th century. The movie starts with a battle that leads to the death of the Nupe King and ends with the death of Ga'a and his many sons and wives.

House of Ga’a is not a film for the international audience. Only viewers who possess knowledge of the Old Oyo empire will be able to understand and relate to the film. Given that the film is about Ga'a, audiences anticipated an action-packed film, as hinted at in the teaser. Nevertheless, the film falls short in every aspect, making it a dull viewing experience.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed in the article belong solely to the author.

---

House of Ga’a fails to deliver in every aspect

Even though the movie opens with a fight, the entire production and direction seem implausible and low-quality. The weapons, the props, and even the battle scenes fall short of what the audience was expecting.

The film wanted to portray the life of Ga’a, his megalomaniac tendencies, his hunger for hegemony, and his corrupt and power-enabled politics. Whoever wanted to overthrow his rule or overpower him was killed by him with black magic.

However black magic was the reason for his downfall too, as it turned his son and the people of his kingdom against him after the death of Princess Agbonyin. Ga’a got paralyzed after he killed Majeogbe with the magical arrow. This was another scene in the film that was disappointing and looked highly unreal.

After Ga’a gets paralyzed, he eventually starts losing his charm and power. When Abiodun and Aare Ona Kakanfo plot against him and attack the village of Oyo, Ga’a, his sons, and his army also get outnumbered and lose.

Ga’a finally gets punished for his sins by the people of Oyo. He is tied down to a tree before he gets burnt. The film ended on a satisfying note with his death and good trumping evil. He curses the people of Oyo even before he dies. Oyemekun and the son of Princess Agbonyin survive at the end of the film as the only descendants of the corrupt and power-hungry Ga’a.

The whole movie seemed out of place as it lacked action, battle sequences, and good direction. The costumes too did not look ancient or medieval. From a movie that wants to portray the downfall of the House of Ga’a, viewers would expect a lot more in terms of props, storytelling, and better-directed fight sequences.

This two-hour watch could have been better if they had eliminated unnecessary parts of the film that increased the run time and instead added more action to the film. A sheer lack of VFX is also seen throughout the film.

---

If you’re someone who enjoys a historical watch now and then to understand the character better, this is not the film for you. Although the film deals with the rise and fall of Ga’a and the Oyo dynasty, there are no real battles in the film. It is Ga’a and his black magic that keep him in power.

House of Ga’a is in the Yoruba language, and the English subtitles which most of the international viewers will use to watch the film, do not feel like a realistic translation and hence stop the viewers from connecting with the film because of a major linguistic barrier.

---

House of Ga'a is now playing on Netflix.