I couldn't understand the low rating and the very high reviews some people stated where unrealistic or even paid to write. Since the movie popped up on my Netflix home screen I decided to give it a go and write an honest unpaid review.
And this is just my opinion. I am a woman from Europe, an entirely different culture than the African one, but since this is a movie, and I watched it, I am entitled to my opinion!
At first I was skeptical and I couldn't figure out what to think of it the first 30 minutes. But the acting was fine, I totally and absolutely loved the chemistry between the strong female lead and her uncle. What a character!
This wasn't a heavy, dramatic movie, more a light hearted fast paced flick with a lot of elements that are almost comical. Hallmark like camera and music and I liked the directing and camera. The only thing I wasn't really happy about was that the movie quite suddenly was over. It could have used like ten minutes more of even a bit longer to work things out with the possible love interest.
Conclusion: I liked it, I enjoyed myself, it was not a master piece, but a nice watch. Well done.
72 Reviews
Fun movie
Taomis6 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In the process of trying to create a very grounded and emotional story with a strong message Genevieve Nnaji might have unintentionally made a fun movie with a good script but some times the execution can down play the importance of a some moments, they never really brought a certain gravitas to the movie to make it epic and that stopped it from reaching its full potoential .More times the movie just refuses to take risk and fully surprise the viewer . The writers definitely put a good script together but they might not have realised that they only just laid a foundation for what could have been a great script. The directorial decision to bring a very cultural and nostalgic traits of nollywood really gave a fun edge to the movie , this was really important in order to downplay the political aspect of this movie which never really worked for me . I defintely feel the sub plot of the company finding away to stay alive really failed in the movie.
Definitely a good movie that a lot of people can decicate 1 hour and 30 mins to and wonâ(TM)t be dissapointed.
Definitely a good movie that a lot of people can decicate 1 hour and 30 mins to and wonâ(TM)t be dissapointed.
Rubbish
minnu-forums15 January 2019
Lion Heart review
isedehi15 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There is a great dose of originality in the premise of this movie: transportation companies in Nigeria, their challenges and their successes. It is also very indigenous. Yes, the business of transportation can pretty much be the same worldwide, but Nigeria will always be a different case.
PLOT IS ALMOST EMPTY.
lilnons5 January 2019
First of all, I praise Genevieve for the casting and audio-visual quality of the movie. Though I still feel like the talents of these great actors were wasted. The movie is short. The story is basic. The story is bland. There is no excitement. No climax. Some of the scenes were unrealistic. The movie is 100% predictable too. Genevieve has been in the industry for 20years. She can do better.
Waste of time
carolyn_ryan4 January 2019
I've never written a review for IMDb. I use it all the time to gauge movies and seeing the above reviews touting this film to be the best movie ever?? Huh?? Makes me seriously question the validity of ALLIMDb scores!! I kept waiting for something to happen in this moviè. Something to interest me or hook me...nothing what a Snoozefest!!
Average
Tinowells6 January 2019
I like the picture quality and the fact that it portrays Nigeria. but the plot is just too short and predictable. i mean life is not a fairytale where happy endings always emerge. by the way the film is also just to unrealistic. highly illogical. the only aspect i love is the comical parts. nothing else.
Outstanding quality and acting.
vlordschild-1416230 December 2018
For a first time director and two times producer of films ,nnaji is heading for greatness. Beautiful film to say the least . And a very calming movie with smiles 😀. A drama movie without drama! She can only get better from here. You have my 10/10
not good enough
rukkyzeal-9721615 January 2019
Does not live up to Production Value
mofeonuwaje5 January 2019
This movie was a movie that had great potential. A directorial debut of the Famous Nigerian Genevieve, packed with star studded Nigerian Names from Phyno, to Pete edochie. It also Had really fantastic production value, however that's as far as positives go.
One thing that a good movie needs above all else is "story". the story usually sets actors up for fantastic pe formances, can usually be the thing to sell a movie. However, this failed to be anything other than boring. It had no logical flow. It was trying to do a lot of things, like develop a love interest for Genevieve, set her up as a hardworking female, however it offers nothing in terms of bringing that to life. There should have been more connections to the characters, like what does Lionheart mean ?? Who exactly are these characters. It feels very empty and quickly put together.
Building on from that, another thing that makes movie so terrible is, because the story is terrible the actors cannot live up to their potential. They're stuck in a bad story, so there's nothing to immerse themselves in.
The film also has terrible writing which also contributes to the actor's terrible performances. I don't know who wrote this but it was really off the mark for writing. Some of the dialogue was so superficial and empty. They threw in some inspirational words here and there to try and do soemthing but it had no effect because they hadn't prepared for it properly. There was also a serious lack of research witht the writing. When you borrow 950 million naira,which is basically 2.6 million dollars, no company takes that kind of loan and pays back fully in a year. People pay interests on that loan, so that really messed up the story and writing. Also was the evil coworker a board member ?? What was he doing at those meetings ?? And how can a company which has a board be unaware of a 2.6 million dollar loan. It's jsust not possible, that's not how business works. It feels as if real life was bent to fit the terrible narrative this movie was trying to tell.
The only positive of this movie is production value. The cinematography is average holly wood standard, although it falters a lot. It's evident of a quite low budget Hollywood movie. It's netflix quality, let me put it that way in terms of original content. However, it still needs to improve. I think Genevieve needs to go on a masters in directing from a good film school to understand how to properly direct, it is really important she does that.
In conclusion, this was a movie that could have been groundbreaking in terms of Nigeria's first original Netflix content. However m perhaps shockingly, seeing as it was bought by Netflix, it was absolutely poor. And writing, bad story, bad acting. I can only congratulate the production value of this.
One thing that a good movie needs above all else is "story". the story usually sets actors up for fantastic pe formances, can usually be the thing to sell a movie. However, this failed to be anything other than boring. It had no logical flow. It was trying to do a lot of things, like develop a love interest for Genevieve, set her up as a hardworking female, however it offers nothing in terms of bringing that to life. There should have been more connections to the characters, like what does Lionheart mean ?? Who exactly are these characters. It feels very empty and quickly put together.
Building on from that, another thing that makes movie so terrible is, because the story is terrible the actors cannot live up to their potential. They're stuck in a bad story, so there's nothing to immerse themselves in.
The film also has terrible writing which also contributes to the actor's terrible performances. I don't know who wrote this but it was really off the mark for writing. Some of the dialogue was so superficial and empty. They threw in some inspirational words here and there to try and do soemthing but it had no effect because they hadn't prepared for it properly. There was also a serious lack of research witht the writing. When you borrow 950 million naira,which is basically 2.6 million dollars, no company takes that kind of loan and pays back fully in a year. People pay interests on that loan, so that really messed up the story and writing. Also was the evil coworker a board member ?? What was he doing at those meetings ?? And how can a company which has a board be unaware of a 2.6 million dollar loan. It's jsust not possible, that's not how business works. It feels as if real life was bent to fit the terrible narrative this movie was trying to tell.
The only positive of this movie is production value. The cinematography is average holly wood standard, although it falters a lot. It's evident of a quite low budget Hollywood movie. It's netflix quality, let me put it that way in terms of original content. However, it still needs to improve. I think Genevieve needs to go on a masters in directing from a good film school to understand how to properly direct, it is really important she does that.
In conclusion, this was a movie that could have been groundbreaking in terms of Nigeria's first original Netflix content. However m perhaps shockingly, seeing as it was bought by Netflix, it was absolutely poor. And writing, bad story, bad acting. I can only congratulate the production value of this.
Overhyped Uninteresting Movie
Thugs_cry6 January 2019
I actually checked the profiles of those who reviewed this film and gave it a 10/10. Those guys are new and probably created the accounts to hype on this film. As for those who rated high just wanted to support the Nigerian movie industry, you are not doing it any good by supporting movies like this. When you support poor quality movies, you encourage mediocrity and the local industry won't just grow. The story though uninteresting is quite very disjointed. At a point, you will be wondering if it is supposed to be a comedy. The character development is quite poor as viewers may be irritated with some. Unnecessary scenes and below par acting by some characters. The only good thing here is the good cameras and picture quality the production came out with.
Boring and weak plot.
tonynworah-111695 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm surprised that some viewers are rating this movie 10. Apart from the production values, there's nothing else about the movie. The plot which is basically about a struggling transportation company called Lionheart that is facing a hostile takeover, is boring and weak. Obviously, the writers didn't do enough research about the corporate world. First, the patriarch of the company borrows 750m from a consortium of banks and the board doesn't know about it. That's impossible when each bank would have demanded for a board resolution from the company authorizing the loan request or acceptance. Even assuming on the point of disbelief that the CEO presented a board resolution without the knowledge of the board, such a big loan can never be kept secret in the corporate board.
Then the external auditors to the Lionheart company gives the company an ultimatum to pay the loan within 30 days or they will take over the bank! What? External auditors are the ones that are supposed to assist the company to stand on their feet and not to help the banks destroy the company.
The plot was boring, the script empty and the dialogue was third rate. All the actors with the arguable exception of Nkem Owoh were sleepwalking. Genevieve Nnaji's thespian skills have always been mediocre and this movie made sure of that. Such an overrated actress. Peter Edochie as usual plays the elder chief or patriarch. Kanayo O. Kanayo is in his typecast role of the villain, in this case, swapping evil charms with a corporate takeover. Onyeka Onwenu, an excellent actress, was sadly underused.
I struggled to keep awake to watch this film. I hope Genevieve who produced and directed this film, doesn't put me through another torture again.
Best Nigerian Film Ever
michaelakan-1759030 December 2018
LionHeart works so well as Comedy/Drama without even trying.. The humour flows naturally and it showcases the Nigerian culture and values in the most beautiful ways. The picture is absolutely beautiful but the performances are even better. Great job Genevieve Nnaji. Thank you for making us proud.
A waste of time
maltuwayjiri7 January 2019
What the hell is going on here
pabloguallar19 January 2019
The movie is so bad at some point you wonder whether you're watching a comedy or a drama movie. It has zero essence, zero script, and zero interest.
I guess all the 10/10 comments are paid but I did watch this on Netflix and I leave this review in case someone decides to skip the movie and get some more life time.
Wrote better stories at 6years
komiyi24 July 2019
The storyline is very shallow, i mean she basically ended all her problems by falling in love with a man after selling the narrative of an independent strong woman. I have a feeling Netflix only bought this to paint Nollywood as shallow to the rest of the world.
More of the same
dipodele13 January 2019
Lionheart does not really do or say anything new. A daughter is trying to run a company after her father's illness and there are challenges. And it's all neatly resolved and they live happily ever after. No real Wow moment
Mind Blowing Piece Of Work.
finndatong30 December 2018
Igbore the paid reviews.
akpobimaro31 December 2018
My Lion Heart Review
susmanlaw13 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Warning: Since LionHeart is on Netflix.Id be giving it a standard review
Now ,with a view not to hurt anyone's feeling. That movie deserves an Award for the Most Over hyped substance on the planet.
Nigerians need to stop this overhyping thing Biko! It's not even amongst the Top 100 Nollywood movies ever made (If there were a top 100 list)
Let's start from the plot !! On(Spoiler Alert) Father is sick and chooses someone to replace him while he's away.He's brother that manages the Owerri branch ...The thing is ,this brother is supposed to be a business mogul but he turns out to be a comedian that has no idea of any business itself.
Phyno's character = pointless Peter's character = unnecessary I could keep on with how many people where unnecessary in this movie.
Talking about good Nollywood movies..We look at Kunle Afolayan's October 1st and Figurine as examples.
Movie Quality : So Damn cheap!
I really question what Netflix saw in this that hasn't been seen in other Nollywood movies .So I'm seriously doubting(To a point of no believe at all) that figure that we are speculating about on Netflix purchase.
I'd have to keep my ratings to myself this time around as it goes below a 5/10 comparing to standard Nollywood movies.
Best part of the movie.
Every Pete Edochie scene Also all GN's scene fitted the script.
Now ,with a view not to hurt anyone's feeling. That movie deserves an Award for the Most Over hyped substance on the planet.
Nigerians need to stop this overhyping thing Biko! It's not even amongst the Top 100 Nollywood movies ever made (If there were a top 100 list)
Let's start from the plot !! On(Spoiler Alert) Father is sick and chooses someone to replace him while he's away.He's brother that manages the Owerri branch ...The thing is ,this brother is supposed to be a business mogul but he turns out to be a comedian that has no idea of any business itself.
Phyno's character = pointless Peter's character = unnecessary I could keep on with how many people where unnecessary in this movie.
Talking about good Nollywood movies..We look at Kunle Afolayan's October 1st and Figurine as examples.
Movie Quality : So Damn cheap!
I really question what Netflix saw in this that hasn't been seen in other Nollywood movies .So I'm seriously doubting(To a point of no believe at all) that figure that we are speculating about on Netflix purchase.
I'd have to keep my ratings to myself this time around as it goes below a 5/10 comparing to standard Nollywood movies.
Best part of the movie.
Every Pete Edochie scene Also all GN's scene fitted the script.
Holy one of Israel!
kennyeziche18 March 2019
What did Genevieve think she just did? A movie? And Netflix bought this? In the midst of Wedding Party? October 1? This is corruption in the highest. The writers are quack. And where were the script doctors? Genevieve needs to bag a diploma in Directing like Stephanie. This was all a joke she served.
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