Gangsta Rap made me do it.
Straight Outta Compton is the new musical biopic about the original gangsta rap group N.W.A. So does this new film match the legacy that this group left on the music scene, or does it fall into mediocrity with nearly the rest of all other musical biopics? Im happy to report that "Straight Outta Compton" matches the brutality and excitement of the group it is about.
If you know me, then you know I have been a massive fan of N.W.A's music for quite some time. I believe that these five individuals changed not just the hip hop scene but the entire music scene. Their brisk and honest rhymes that delivered the truth about living and growing up in the streets of South Central Los Angeles brought forth a new era of music. I believe that no other rap group had the rhymes that N.W.A did and I still hold to my word that to this day per my opinion no rapper or rap group has ever been able to top the rhymes of N.W.A. As you can tell I absolutely love N.W.A, therefore my expectations for this film were sky high. Thus it is with great honor to say that Straight Outta Compton is my favorite film of 2015 so far.
First and foremost the acting in Straight Outta Compton is top notch. Every person brings a fiery passion to their roles whether it be Corey Hawkins as the serious Dr. Dre, or O'Shea Jackson Jr. delivering a honest and intense performance as his father Ice Cube(my personal favorite rapper of all time). Paul Giammati gives a stellar performance as the group manager who has plans of his own under his belt. But the true standout is none other than Jason Mitchell in his truly polarizing performance of the most polarizing member of the group, Eazy E. Mitchell escapes into this role and you never really see an actor. Mitchell becomes Eazy E. This performance is award calibar and come Oscar season if Mitchell's name isn't in the ballot then me and the academy are going to have some serious issues. This movie was either going to live or die by the performances of these actors and These actors bring this movie to a level most people werent expecting.
F. Gary Grays direction is fast paced, and Ill even say action packed. The energy this film gives off is truly daunting and the concert scenes will have everyone in the theater singing along. Its a truly electrifying experience to behold. One scene in particular, the infamous concert in Detroit with the police breathing down the groups neck and warning them not to play their immensely controversial protest hit "F%#k Tha Police" leads to a climax with O'Shea Jr looking at into the crowd with his fathers famous glare, and letting Dre know that he's "Got Something to Say", and you know the rest. This scenes encompasses the true meaning behind this movie and whole the setting is 1989 the themes resonate heavily with today. In this lies the true beauty of Straight Outta Compton. The only complaint I can think of with this film is it is about ten minutes to long and that is me nitpicking.
Many people are up in arms against Straight Outta Compton for glorifying N.W.A's actions and and showing a distasteful portrayal of women. Well in no way does this movie glorify the actions of the five individuals, and it does an great job of showing the repercussions of the lifestyle these artists chose. This movie is about truth above all else, and well i guess some people out there cant handle truth. Like N.W.A's music Straight Outta Compton is honest, and in a wolrd with so much lie, this honest is what makes Straight Outta Compton and N.W.A beautiful. Express Yourself.
A 4.5 out of 5
+Honesty
+Performances
+Direction
+Music and Soundtrack
-10 minutes to long
Straight Outta Compton is the new musical biopic about the original gangsta rap group N.W.A. So does this new film match the legacy that this group left on the music scene, or does it fall into mediocrity with nearly the rest of all other musical biopics? Im happy to report that "Straight Outta Compton" matches the brutality and excitement of the group it is about.
If you know me, then you know I have been a massive fan of N.W.A's music for quite some time. I believe that these five individuals changed not just the hip hop scene but the entire music scene. Their brisk and honest rhymes that delivered the truth about living and growing up in the streets of South Central Los Angeles brought forth a new era of music. I believe that no other rap group had the rhymes that N.W.A did and I still hold to my word that to this day per my opinion no rapper or rap group has ever been able to top the rhymes of N.W.A. As you can tell I absolutely love N.W.A, therefore my expectations for this film were sky high. Thus it is with great honor to say that Straight Outta Compton is my favorite film of 2015 so far.
First and foremost the acting in Straight Outta Compton is top notch. Every person brings a fiery passion to their roles whether it be Corey Hawkins as the serious Dr. Dre, or O'Shea Jackson Jr. delivering a honest and intense performance as his father Ice Cube(my personal favorite rapper of all time). Paul Giammati gives a stellar performance as the group manager who has plans of his own under his belt. But the true standout is none other than Jason Mitchell in his truly polarizing performance of the most polarizing member of the group, Eazy E. Mitchell escapes into this role and you never really see an actor. Mitchell becomes Eazy E. This performance is award calibar and come Oscar season if Mitchell's name isn't in the ballot then me and the academy are going to have some serious issues. This movie was either going to live or die by the performances of these actors and These actors bring this movie to a level most people werent expecting.
F. Gary Grays direction is fast paced, and Ill even say action packed. The energy this film gives off is truly daunting and the concert scenes will have everyone in the theater singing along. Its a truly electrifying experience to behold. One scene in particular, the infamous concert in Detroit with the police breathing down the groups neck and warning them not to play their immensely controversial protest hit "F%#k Tha Police" leads to a climax with O'Shea Jr looking at into the crowd with his fathers famous glare, and letting Dre know that he's "Got Something to Say", and you know the rest. This scenes encompasses the true meaning behind this movie and whole the setting is 1989 the themes resonate heavily with today. In this lies the true beauty of Straight Outta Compton. The only complaint I can think of with this film is it is about ten minutes to long and that is me nitpicking.
Many people are up in arms against Straight Outta Compton for glorifying N.W.A's actions and and showing a distasteful portrayal of women. Well in no way does this movie glorify the actions of the five individuals, and it does an great job of showing the repercussions of the lifestyle these artists chose. This movie is about truth above all else, and well i guess some people out there cant handle truth. Like N.W.A's music Straight Outta Compton is honest, and in a wolrd with so much lie, this honest is what makes Straight Outta Compton and N.W.A beautiful. Express Yourself.
A 4.5 out of 5
+Honesty
+Performances
+Direction
+Music and Soundtrack
-10 minutes to long