by Wilfred Okiche

As Nollywood productions go, the ELFIKE team (consisting of EbonyLife films, FilmOne distribution, Inkblot and Koga studios) that made the box office champion, The Wedding Party in 2016 is a huge one. As a result, a healthy number of persons have earned for themselves, the right to go to town citing this enviable achievement while promoting future projects.

‘’From the makers of The Wedding Party.’’ ‘’From the team that brought you The Wedding Party.’’

Has a nice ring to it.

Inkblot productions trotted out this important detail while promoting the August romantic comedy, My Wife & I. EbonyLife films is sure to do the same once The Royal Hibiscus Hotel begins its local promotional campaign ahead of a 2018 release date.

FilmOne which is likely to distribute films made by the ELFIKE collective, has a new dog in the fight, the contemporary adventure yarn, Tatu, co-financed by the Bank of Industry, and helmed by Don Omope, FilmOne’s head of film/creative director.

Written by Jude Idada of the Okafor’s Law plagiarism drama and Omope, as an adaptation of a 2004 book by Abraham Nwankwo, a former boss of the Debt Management Office, Tatu is visually appealing but emotionally and structurally handicapped.

Tatu is toplined by a star-heavy cast that includes Segun Arinze, Desmond Elliot, Toyin Abraham and Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi.

Former Kannywod darling Rahama Sadau continues an impressive run that has seen her make the unlikely cross to mainstream Nollywood fare since she was ruled a pariah by her holier-than-thou colleagues for daring to,-gasp!- display public affection in a bland music video. N.B The male rapper involved, ClassiQ walked away unscathed.

Since her proscription, Sadau has appeared on the EbonyLife television series, Sons of the Caliphate and has scored supporting roles in films like Hakkunde, Light Will Come and Ajuwaya. Who needs Kannywood when the bright(er) lights of Nollywood beckon ever so close?

Tatu is an ensemble piece, but Sadau is cast in the titular lead role as a child of destiny, born to a desperate mother, Larayi (Toyin Abraham) who is a member of a strange cult run with a tight fist and an acolyte of dwarf enforcers by a charismatic shaman, Narimana, played by Segun Arinze.

Tatuma is revealed by the mark she bears on her chest to be the cult’s uzeburu, a sacrificial lamb to be burnt at the stake on the event of her 21^st birthday, to atone for the sins of others. Accompanying her on the journey to the afterlife, is Kamani,- a brooding Sambasa Nzeribe,- her protector and guider. Hit with a terrible case of buyer’s remorse, Larayi decides against sacrificing Tatuma and whisks her away from Narimana’s evil clutches. Some good it does her.

The film introduces Tatuma and Kamani as strange kids whose grown up versions are played by Sadau and Nzeribe respectively. These early scenes highlight some of Omope’s strengths as a creator. His ability to build credible fictional worlds through motion pictures, costumes and sound. The film’s nature shots are idyllic and the actors make do with horns for hairdos and other such outlandish makeup ideas. They may feel weird, but they certainly pop on screen. Omope knows how to light up a scene and Tatu is a showcase of sexy cinematography and smart choices in production design.

Midway into Tatu, the deficiencies begin to reveal themselves and start to pile up one atop the other. These problems start with the story, continue through the screenplay and by the time Omope gathers his cast and works to the non-climax that is the film’s final act, Tatu has practically expended all the goodwill the mysterious trailer managed to summon up.

Tatu isn’t a terrible film.

It isn’t even a bad one. It just is very underwhelming considering all the effort put into making it visually appealing. The stakes are very underwhelming, plot is meh and the action elements, considering mostly of Kamani pursuing Tatu and her paramour (Gabriel Afolayan) through the streets are unexciting. The entire film is really a big build up to a giant nothingness, marked by ill-advised changes in tone and mood.

Nzeribe who was deliciously volatile in Slow Country is wasted here as he has nothing to do except make repetitive weird facial contortions that only drag down the pacing. Segun Arinze looks the part and makes all the right noises but his dense theatrics and the overbearing dialogue he is saddled with soon entrap him. Toyin Abraham and Afolayan waste no time falling into the lazy, overacting mode that betrays their background and Omope shows little control over his cast. Kunle Idowu and Hafiz Oyetoro are added in to spark some laughs but they feel unnervingly out of place in the single scene that they share.

The climactic scene which could have salvaged Tatu and rewarded audiences who have stuck around is a giant let down. Omope who had previously cheated his way through a scene that has two characters escape heroically through an opening in the window,- he does not show details of the escape,- does so again at the end with a confrontation that is an epic mishap, not to mention inconsistent with characterisation and previous happenings.

Fancying themselves market leaders in gauging the needs of the cinema-going public, FilmOne’s imprints are all over Tatu, but they aren’t the good kind. As a result, the finished film feels less like an inspired adventure than a calculated ploy to grab money, focus-grouped to numbness with subtle nods to various important market segments.

Assemble a young sexy cast, old reliable hands for support, new school humour merchants (people really need to laugh), and crisp pictures. All well and good but when all these elements are put together without a soul, the result is a film as limp as Tatu.

The writer tweets from @drwill2.