Review of Straight Outta Compton (2015) by John D — 05 Sep 2016

It's crazy to think about how different the music scene was before the hip hop group N.W.A burst onto the stage in the mid-80s. They changed the cultural landscape with progressive lyrics (and antics) and to this day radio stations and streaming platforms are still playing their tunes.

It shouldn't be a surprise that their story would sooner or later be adapted into a film (or it would if you read the troubled production history this had) but director F. Gary Gray and screenwriters Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff were able to pull it off with 2015s Straight Outta Compton-an entertaining and emotionally satisfying glimpse into the revolutionary group's lives and rise.

The directing by Gray is a career benchmark-with clever use of supers, technical proficiency all throughout (with great camera work by Mathew Libatique), impressive use of performances from his (relatively) newcomer cast and the ability to keep us engaged with a large story that never quite seems to lose focus.

There are some hiccups throughout-with some repetitive scenes, a marginal lack of rounded depth with main characters (I never quite felt like I saw the real Ice Cube-even though the acting was impressive by O'Shea Jackson, Jr.

-Cube's real life son) and a middle section that loses some steam but by the end everything comes together that will hopefully have a lasting impact similar to the group the film is based on.