A zombie apocalypse is not an unfamiliar movie theme, but for Nollywood, it sure is. However, for producer Leo Obienyi, this would be his second coming in a zombie thriller. In 2022, a short zombie film, Road to Jabi, was released to select cinemas for a day. While that did not carry the kind of buzz it may have deserved, this large-screen debut of a 1 hour 30 minutes showing of what a zombie outbreak could look like in Nigeria came with a lot of hype and anticipation. Rated 15, Alive Till Dawn is directed by Sulaiman Omotola Ogegbe. It stars Shine Rosman, Uzor Arukwe, Micheal Dappa and Sani Muazu.
Premise
A strange new COVID variant is in the air, and this one doesn’t just make people sick; it straight up turns them into zombies. The Infection spreads through bites, and within hours, Lagos descends into chaos.
For Alex, it starts like any normal day. She’s on summer break and decides to see her father, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of a police station. But everything changes when the police station suddenly comes under attack by newly turned zombies. For Officers and inmates alike, survival becomes the only law that matters.
After being knocked unconscious, Alex wakes up to a nightmare. She helps free a group of inmates from the holding cells, and together they form an uneasy alliance. The plan is simple: escape the building and make it to an announced safe zone. But inside these walls, the zombies aren’t the only threat. In the middle of the chaos, Alex is nearly violated, and one inmate’s constant selfishness almost gets them killed. Another carries a secret about her mother’s death, and then the final blow, her father is bitten.
As the group drops one by one, they soon discover that noise alerts the zombies. Every step now is a quiet gamble as those left are just trying to stay alive till dawn. Against all odds, Alex makes it out of the building, but the survival doesn’t end there. She is met by the full scale of the carnage outside and is attacked by a fresh horde of zombies. Scrambling to safety, the question is: will Alex survive what comes next?
Cast and Performances
A zombie apocalypse, like any good horror film that involves a group, thrives on 3 specific characterisations. One, it needs a face the audience can love, fear for, and root for. A damsel in distress, if you like, and Shine Rosman as Alex fits that role perfectly. She delivers enough emotion and physicality to make her fight for survival feel believable. You feel her fear, her exhaustion, and her determination.
Two, it needs a group villain. The one person who somehow still finds a way to sabotage everyone because they’re thinking only of themselves. Honestly, I truly wonder how people manage to maintain their villainous personalities even in the midst of collective chaos. In Alive Till Dawn, Uzor Arukwe’s Badu fills that role perfectly. It’s a refreshing casting choice and a solid reminder of Uzor’s range as an actor.
Then, finally, it needs a selfless character. The one willing to risk it all to protect others or the damsel. Michael Dappa as Isaac plays this role convincingly, offering an emotional balance to the tension. It’s also nice seeing him transition from YouTube fame to the big screen.
Sani Muazu plays the police chief, Alex’s father. Let’s not forget the least but most important part of the film, the Zombies. The zombies were okay; they displayed good zombie character (I hope there’s such a thing, if not, you know what I mean). They were menacing and convincing enough to sell it. While the casting across the board may not be a flawless 10/10, it works well enough to carry the story.
What I Liked
For a Nigerian take on a zombie apocalypse, the plot was impressive. Using something as familiar as COVID to introduce the unfamiliar territory of a zombie outbreak was a commendable filmmaking choice.
The film was also straight to the point. The pacing was tight, without dragging or overstretching subplots. That restraint worked in its favour because nothing felt exaggerated for the sake of drama.
One thing I particularly appreciated was the film’s willingness to kill off characters. It avoided the usual Nollywood tendency to protect its cast at all costs and instead embraced a much bleaker, more realistic outcome. Even Alex, the lead, isn’t given an overly comforting resolution. The ending doesn’t feel like the end of everything, yet it satisfyingly closes the story.
The cinematography deserves praise as well. Combined with solid makeup and costuming — especially for the zombies — the world felt believable. The undead looked convincing enough to sell the danger. There were also a few well-placed laughs that offered brief relief.
Drawbacks
For a horror-themed film, Alive Till Dawn wasn’t particularly scary. Tension is a key ingredient in any zombie apocalypse story; the constant threat of being bitten, the fear of what might be lurking in dark corners, and that lingering sense of dread that something could go wrong at any moment. Unfortunately, these elements weren’t present in the intensity the genre demands. Several scenes that should have benefited from stronger tension and suspense didn’t quite land. Moments that were meant to signal imminent danger lacked the buildup needed to truly raise the stakes or make me feel uneasy.
There were also some inconsistencies within the plot, particularly around the rules of infection. The film never clearly establishes how long it takes for someone to turn after being bitten. Different characters transformed at different times, and this inconsistency was never explained, which weakened the internal logic of the story.
The sound design, especially the zombie growls, needed better work. At times, the sounds didn’t feel convincing, and it occasionally overpowered important dialogue, which was distracting.
World-building was another area that felt underdeveloped. While there were attempts to expand the scope — such as helicopters and areas of fire outbreaks — the AI elements were quite obvious and didn’t fully sell the scale or depth of the apocalypse.
Final Thoughts
Nollywood Audiences have long called for more variety and for Nollywood filmmakers to explore new frontiers beyond familiar genres. Alive Till Dawn answers that call in a bold and commendable way. A zombie horror is no small risk, and the film deserves credit for attempting something unconventional within the Nollywood space. While the effort is notable, there’s still clear room for improvement. Alive Till Dawn may not have set a new benchmark, but it has certainly opened the door, and it will be remembered.
Side Notes: The Third Mainland Bridge was announced as the safe zone, yet very little in the film visually resembled Lagos; it felt more like Abuja, so why not simply name an Abuja-based location? Secondly, Nollywood filmmakers might want to rethink how films are marketed visually. Better-designed movie posters would go a long way in matching the ambition of projects like this.
Rating
3/5
What do you think of Nollywood’s portrayal of a zombie apocalypse, hit or miss?
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