After 30 – Movie Review

After 30 follows the story of four friends (played by Damilola Adegbite, Beverly Naya, Meg Otanwa, and Anee Icha) living in Lagos, navigating the realities of life and relationships in their thirties.

It was an annoying experience.

This sequel is coming 10 years after the main series Before 30. In that time, so many things have changed in Nigeria and the world, but whoever spearheaded this misguided resurrection definitely missed the memo because the things they were doing ehn, I can’t understand why anyone thought it was okay.

Anyway, what did I like? 

Gorgeous people everywhere! This was a real-life example of the phrase aging like fine wine right before our eyes. The ladies became even prettier, finer, and sexier. 

I liked their outfits. I like the set pieces, the lighting, and they gave us some really nice shots.

I thought the acting was good from the ladies and the guys as well. Even though Aisha and Nkem were annoying me with that their nonsense fight, that scene was still a solid performance from the both of them. Did you see Aisha’s eyes in that scene? She looked wicked!

What I looooved the most was the montage showing how Temi and Kunle’s love happened. See, that whole law stuff they had going on alone can be a full movie on its own —a simple and sweet romance. It was sooo cute.

I appreciated how they included the late Karibi Fubara in the film and closed out his storyline. Since I knew he was dead, I wondered how they were going to handle it, and they did it with respect and grace.

So What were the issues? 

Let me start by telling you that I specifically went back to watch Before 30 before watching After 30, so I could remember where they stopped and understand the full picture. Seeing where they were coming from in terms of their storyline, I honestly was not expecting fireworks or anything deep from this sequel but I expected it to be decent. 

Unfortunately, the story they decided to tell and the way they chose to tell it? Ridiculous. Some movies bore you, some disappoint you but this one? I guarantee you that it will PISS YOU OFF!

The main issue anyone would notice while watching this is the fact that the four ladies did not evolve. They did not grow. Their characters seemed to become worse than they were a decade ago. Before 30 capitalized on the fear of turning 30 unmarried—we watched them scramble to settle down because of the belief that a woman “expires” at 30. We watched them do silly things like joblessly cat-walking in front of random men to test their loyalty. So I was looking forward to watching them find themselves, become wiser, happier, chase big dreams and personal fulfilment, challenge the tired belief that a woman’s worth is tied to her relationship status, and maybe find love that is healthy and fulfilling on their own terms. Instead, we got noise, confusion, and regression.

Aisha – 10 years later and she still did not believe in communicating with her husband. She became even more manipulative, she even showed herself to be a terrible friend.

Ama – She was never really the brightest, but i thought it was because she was young. In this sequel, she still sounded so naive, so unsure of everything. It looked like she was going through a GenZ phase, the hairstyles and all the ribbon thing she had going on. It was stressful to watch her.

Nkem – The one who slept with men indiscriminately still continued with this but honestly, she was the least annoying one. 

As for Temi, not sure how exactly to describe how annoying the character was, but take it from me when I say the self sabotage was another level.

I imagine that some people will say “These things happen in real life”. Well , crazy things happen everyday but do they make compelling and entertaining movies? That’s the real question.

Moving on, some things just did not make sense to me and i thoroughly disliked so many scenes.

• I hated that scene where Temi was in the car, bending down and hiding after stalking Ayo. I just thought, they must be following this girl. 
• The whole Aisha traveling abroad to transfer accounts, then tying her womb was not really my cup of tea but the most baffling thing was why she told Nkem about tying her tubes. She went through all that stress alone, handled pre and post surgery care by herself, so what was the point of sharing? Nkem didn’t even need to know! I’m convinced they just added that so there would be a reason for them to fight, even though it made no sense.
• The fight between Nkem and Aisha? It seemed so out of place, so exaggerated and I was wondering from where to where? It was weird how they made such a scene in the middle of a packed restaurant and the other guests were not even fazed by the whole thing. 
• Was it just me, or were they really trying to frame what was going on between Temi and Ayo as some kind of “soulmate” situation? Like a “right person, wrong time” thing? Because it did not work, in my opinion. The whole thing was just toxic — and as for that Ayo, no difference between him and a spirit husband.

Another thing that I did not like about this movie was that, for a female-centered story, at no point did they stand tall. Female-driven stories have evolved so much in the last few years. And while Nollywood still has a long way to go, we’ve seen some solid stories about strong, smart, flawed, but strategic, and intelligent women. But in this movie? The women did not stand for anything. Their dialogues irked my soul and I couldn’t even count the number of times they repeated “fight or flight” after doing something very foolish. 

Aisha’s mother said the most important tool a Nigerian woman should have is how to beg, the way she said it, the pause before that line, I was expecting something very profound.

This movie disguises itself as empowering or relatable content for women, but it does absolutely no favors to the “women” it claims to represent. After 30 was committed to presenting women as insecure, confused, emotionally unstable, and unserious.

If Aisha was bold enough to carefully plan everything she did, then she should have a plan to protect herself and her child. If she’s supposed to be a mean, calculated woman, then let her be an impressive one. Why was she crying on the floor?

Do you remember that scene with Temi and the police officer? A solid babe, a brilliant lawyer who understands her rights, folded her hands and cowered as that policeman insulted her and called her a prostitute just because she wore a tube top. Then, of course, the “man” had to step in to rescue her. Then she moved over to the passenger seat while Ayo took the wheel and drove her car away. I don’t have the words to describe it, but it was symbolic of the way women were portrayed in this movie. It was stinking.

I did not like the friendship between the ladies this time around. They didn’t have that easy camaraderie anymore. Also, in the initial series, all they did was talk about relationship problems. Ten years later—still the same. No normal conversations, no shared interests, no fun memories, no common jokes or even gossip about mutual enemies.

I noticed an attempt to highlight postpartum depression, but I don’t think the film did justice to the theme. So many women genuinely go through severe bodily changes—hair loss, tooth decay, pelvic issues, and so much more—but the film didn’t say anything new or insightful. Instead, it felt like it was just listing those things out to scare women. And Aisha? She said she loved her child but she acted like she hated her child. There was no warmth, no tenderness between them. Even when she touched the child, she looked cold and disconnected. I honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

Lastly, what was that ending? A. Mess.

I’m assuming they left it open-ended because they plan to make a part 3. Seeing how they ruined part 2, you’d think they wouldn’t dare — but this is Nollywood. We might lack plenty things, but audacity? We have it in spades. So yes, they will dare.

I’d just like to say: Kunle has no business taking Temi back. He deserves better. Aisha has tried to wreck her marriage through a complete lack of communication, twice. She still doesn’t believe she did anything wrong, she’s only apologizing because she got caught. Maybe she doesn’t like being married.

And if Nkem actually goes after Aisha’s husband? That just confirms how little self-worth this group has collectively.

As for Ama? No words. None.

The friend group should be thrown away.

As I round up this review, there is one question that keeps bugging my brain, what exactly was the point of this movie? What was the rationale behind reviving a story centered on messy, spineless women who sabotage their own happiness and make even worse decisions as they grow older. I anticipate that some people will say the film was not made for everyone, so who exactly is the intended audience? Who is supposed to appreciate this?

The truth is, Before 30 was widely enjoyed at the time when it was released. People remember it fondly. So they should’ve left it alone, they should not have bothered with this sequel.

After 30 was committed to presenting women as insecure, confused, and unable to make great decisions and I must say, it succeeded. They did it in a way that’s sure to offend any audience, from any generation. Everyone responsible for this film owes us an apology.

Overall, After 30 is a dumbed-down, groan-inducing sequel that should not have left the drafts. Terrible script, poor directing. Despite its attractive leads, it’s a painful watch. Very poorly thought out and far more likely to annoy you than entertain.

My Rating: 1.5/10

Have you seen the movie, please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Read the review of Devil is a liar here.

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