“Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes” Review: A Prequel Movie That Doesn’t Quite Live Up To Its Predecessor

Iyanu closes its second season with a new movie, Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes, detailing the origins of the divide between the people of The Deep and Elu.

After a strong ending to Iyanu’s second season, a movie, Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes concludes the season’s arc with a look at the origins of the divide between the people of The Deep and Elu. Much like the first movie, Iyanu: The Age of Wonders, the movie provides more depth to the world and the people of Yorubaland. Despite some solid character moments, Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes doesn’t have quite the same sense of wonder as the previous movie.

Much like the first film, the story of Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes is presented as a story told to Iyanu (Serah Johnson). This time around, Adura (Gesiere Faith-Agua) is the one to share the tale. The opening of Adura attempting to make amends with the people that she hurt and sharing her culture’s food with Iyanu and Ekun is a great ending to her season’s arc. Though the season emphasized the importance of having empathy for others, Adura still taking steps to redeem herself emphasizes the importance of redemption along with empathy.

Though the cuts from the main story to the present throughout the movie worked well previously, the ones here aren’t quite as effective. The first is moments before the story fully begins, and Iyanu is already bored with what’s being told. The second involves Iyanu not even paying attention to the story at all. While the opening and closing moments in the present between Iyanu and Adura work well, the other moments are more annoying than they are effective comic relief.

In the actual events of the tale, two twin princes, Debo and Laja (both voiced by Femi Olugbade), are heirs to the throne of Elu. Despite being twins, they have wildly different personalities. Laja is soft and kind while Debo is ruthless and tough. Though the movie attempts to show that they care about each other, the moments fall flat as Debo is too one-note to feel like a fully fleshed-out character.

The crux of the conflict surrounds the twins’ mother, who was banished for breaking the rules of the kingdom. While Debo is extremely upset about the banishment, their mother appears to Laja as a vision. In these visions, she hurls insults and abuse at Laja and criticizes him for not being like his brother. Though Debo seems aware of their mother’s awful demeanor towards Laja, his only concern being about fixing her banishment makes it hard to believe that their soon-to-be broken bond is particularly strong.

Their father, Oba Adedeji (Lord Frank), provides a private warning to Laja about Debo but dies before formally announcing an heir. Laja refuses to back down from his claim to the throne and wins the crown after a vote by the Oba’s advisors. Debo is furious about losing the throne and plans an attack on Elu with the help of his supporters and a mysterious wanderer, Eletan (David Onwubalili), who provides him with the power of the Fallen One.

As Laja and his remaining advisors plan for Debo’s attack, he begins to come into his own. One of the movie’s most thrilling sequences involves Laja going to retrieve one of the last remaining wonders, the staff of ancient god Joba. In the process, he fends off a pack of corrupted tigers and finally stands up to the ghost of his mother. Another one of the standout characters is Oloye (Stella Damasus), a wise advisor to both Oba Adedeji and Laja, who also gets the chance to shine in a confrontation with Eletan as he attempts to access The Forbidden Temple. 

Though the inevitable conflict ultimately erupts between the two brothers, and it is interesting to see how the conflict plays out with Laja’s triumph, much of the story feels too predictable to be compelling. The movie involves elements that were previously revealed at the end of the season, particularly Acolytes and Iyanu being a conduit, and none of the reveals really expand the world of Yorubaland beyond the conflict.

The previous movie also didn’t have too many shocking revelations, but seeing how the curse of Yorubaland and The Fallen One came to be provided vital world-building information that felt far more impactful and emotionally resonant. Though the series tries to keep the identity of the mysterious Eletan a surprise, the fact that he looks like and sounds like the character he’s revealed to be makes the reveal far less surprising than intended.

Iyanu: The War of Twin Princes closes with Iyanu and Adura reflecting on what they’ve learned and forming an alliance to help fix the divide between Elu and The Deep, as well as deal with the looming threat of the Acolytes. Though Adura is not ready to join Team Chosen, her presence as a valuable ally rather than a foe will be a welcome addition to the conflict. The closing sequence ends the movie on a strong note and provides hope for an exciting, though not-yet-confirmed, third season of the series.

Author: Jessica Wolff

Jessica Wolff is a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in Film/Video. She has a passion for entertainment and representation in entertainment. She currently resides outside of Washington, DC.

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary