Hi AFR lovers,
It’s been a while since I last reviewed. Many factors contributed to this, including certain decisions I had to make regarding AFR. I hope it’s not too late to apologize for this long absence. Thank you for accepting my apology! (I want to believe you did!)
I will be commenting on The Covenant in a non-methodical or unconventional way, unlike what you are used to on AFR. Why The Covenant? Yes, I know it’s been months since its release. To think this note has been sitting in draft for weeks, I have no excuse for not publishing it sooner.
However, I will point out a few things that I believe need to be discussed. You can send me an email or share your opinion in the comment section.
The Covenant was released in December 2025 and features quite a number of celebrity actors in Nollywood. The film’s first few scenes opened with violence, which struggled to create and sustain the enigma on which the movie was supposed to be built. In the background, there was Niger Delta militancy fueled by brotherhood and occult ties. However, the synchronization of these elements was logically tedious to recognize, much less connect, as the movie moved from brotherhood to militancy and then to the quest for occult powers, which later became the focal point of the film.
From the first episode, we see actors known for certain character stereotypes delivering their best, unsurprisingly. The cinematography and setting contributed well to enacting the story, though I have issues with the costumes and aesthetics, for example, Sting’s ‘tattoo’ disappearing in episode 3. Nevertheless, the question on my mind while watching the movie was: what story is being told, and what is it really about?
It feels like reading side comments without knowing the full gist. What are the actions leading to? To what end? The first episode seems unfruitful in guiding the audience toward understanding what is going on. The focus on one brother looking for the other dragged on too long, making it seem like the fulcrum of the movie, but it sustained this without suspense.
In the second episode, the appearance of certain characters without antecedent or explanation left me confused. There’s no element of surprise or suspense. The theme seems disjointed—is this a Niger Delta-themed story, a brotherhood story, a gangster tale, or an occult power struggle? At a point, it became exhausting trying to figure out what story was being told. Building the plot around a brother (Dagogo) trying to find his lost brother (Sting) seems weak. The premise portrays Celestine (Sting) as powerless, in need of his brother’s intervention to find his way home, only for the audience to discover that Celestine actually chose not to escape, even after his brother confirmed that he was alive and well.
The crux of the story shifts to revenge and the power struggle over ‘the spear.’ The Belema–Uncle Tonye relationship and the introduction of foreign powers vying for control shift the focus to the spear. There is no explanation of how Belema learned her witchcraft, many gaps remain. So, what exactly is the story trying to convey? Saying many things without coherence is the same as saying nothing.
The importance of the spear isn’t clear until episode 4. Though not fully established, the cult is portrayed as transgenerational, with Kalu, the priest of the spear, and his daughter responsible for its safekeeping and continuity. The mystery woman seems to be available only to Stella’s children, even though Kalu and Naomi were the frontiers of the cult. Was the covenant with the mystery woman or with the entire occult?
When the riddle about the Heart of the Forest was resolved, how does it explain Stella’s house? How is she the heart of the forest?
Irony
- The irony of Reverend Father (Uncle Tonye) seeking the spear: someone who should believe in eternity and immortality according to Christian doctrine, yet relying on the spear to secure immortality in earthly life.
- Dagogo loses the brother he was seeking after he finally finds him.
Loopholes
- The subplot of Kachi trying to avenge her friend was left unresolved.
- The spear should have been the fulcrum of the story but was not emphasized until the end.
- The sudden shift in Celestine and Dagogo’s characters at the last minute to chase the spear feels strange. Also, how did they know where the Father and the chief priest would be?
In all, it was obvious that more attention was paid to the execution of The Covenant than to the storytelling itself.
Pheww! I hope you enjoyed the review? Let me know your take(s)!