Movie Review: Is Sugar Rush worth all the hype?

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Sugar Rush (2019) is a Nollywood movie that centers on three sisters who accidentally stumble on a huge amount of money in a murder scene of an influential politician and his armed men. In a bid to have a luxurious life and cater for their sick mother, they steal the money. This results to them being haunted by the different acclaimed owners of this money.

The movie is practically full of humour, almost every scene cracked me up. I really enjoyed the characters of the Sugar sisters, Susie (Adesua Etomi), Sola (Bisola Aiyelola) and Bola (Bimbo Ademoye) who is the youngest amongst the three, I love every bit of her character, the humour she displayed is topnotch.

One thing I so much love about this movie is how it is able to pass across very significant messages in comical ways. To start with, the love and bond shared between the sugar sisters. Susie who’s the first daughter, perfectly plays out her role is ensuring the safety of her sisters despite their adamant attitudes, and how she’s ready to engage in any form of business (legal/illegal), just to afford her mum’s drug. This strengthens the saying “Family is everything”. Also, how they are able to portray the harsh reality of our country by ridiculing the EFCC and projecting the body as a direct opposite of what it stands for; the real perpetrators of the crime they claim to fight against. The issue of females’ sexually harassing men in the name of “Seduction” which is bluntly spelt out by Sola when her sister Bola tries stalking Dan(Mawuli Gavor) really made lot of sense to me.

More so, one beautiful thing about this movie is how most of the characters made their language use relatable with a fusion of Pidgin English, slang and Yoruba, it feels very original. Also, the suspense and thrilling events in the movie is commendable.

Despite the comic relief this movie brings, the loopholes in the plot cannot be overlooked. I find it difficult to understand some events. For instance, why the politician (Jide Kososko) and his men are all killed because of his refusal to share the money, but the unknown assassins deliberately abandons the money at the crime scene. And I ask, for who exactly?

The EFCC has an incriminating video of Sola and Susie which disappears just like that. The file isn’t corrupted, neither is the system faulty but the video just vanishes with no explanation. It is too much of a vital detail for us to figure out by ourselves and be left with our thoughts.

Following the way Anikulapo (Banky W) is being described from the beginning of the movie as a villain who is capable of any inhuman act. I expected to see a fierce person, looking vile and monstrous. Banky W looked too soft for the role and didn’t portray the character as I envisaged.

I almost lost interest towards the end of the movie. The juju car which had the ability to be invisible, appeared so unreal and more like a joke.  

Lastly, I am yet to come to terms with why the gunman who was instructed by Anikolapo to burn Susie and Dan had to wait till day break to carry out the instruction, when they could be rescued. What did he do all night?

Well, I wouldn’t say Sugar Rush is worth all the hype. But at the same time, it isn’t a flop as many have said. It offers good laughter and fun which can put you on a spot and get you carried away, then you may just not notice the salient messages it highlights. It is a beautiful movie with a half-baked plot which makes it averagely excellent.

Written by Marvellous Eze