Review of Straight Outta Compton (2015) by Dcedmonds — 19 Aug 2015

"Straight Outta Compton" 10 Scale Rating: 8.5 (Great) ...

The Good: Despite being filled with unknowns, the film is well acted and full of great performances. You can tell that the leads were fans of the source material. O'Shea Jackson Jr, playing his real life father Ice Cube in the film, was especially good and stood out from the rest. The film itself is fascinating and at times far more humorous than I expected it to be. Some will go into the film assuming it is dark and violent and while it certainly doesn't pull any punches, it has more heart and at times has a lighter tone than you'd think. The soundtrack is obviously top notch and well crafted. It didn't simply play N.W.A.'s greatest hits, but also timed them well and showcased a lot of solo material throughout the movie. A great love letter to the group and something that fans of N.W.A.'s music will be proud of.

The Bad: If you're not a fan of N.W.A., then you won't like it nearly as much. You'll still be entertained to an extent, but it won't grab you like it would someone who grew up with the music. Some moments of their career was glossed over somewhat and I would have liked to seen more of their rise than is shown. MC Ren, a founding member of the group, is completely under-represented and fades into the background even more so as the film chugs along. I understand that Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy had titanic solo careers, but Ren was one of the driving forces behind the group and the chief rapper on a lot of their tracks. It's a shame that he didn't quite get the credit he deserves.