Review of Straight Outta Compton (2015) by Joe M — 18 Feb 2016

I saw the Director's Cut.

At 167 minutes the movie is way too bloated. The movie takes too long to get to NWA's formation, and it overstays it's welcome well after they disband. The last act feels both rushed and stuck in the mud. How many times can we be told differently that these guys broke apart because of money?

But those 100 minutes in the middle? I don't think you could ask for a better band-forming movie. The concert scenes are energetic and the movie has quite a bit of anger that I admired. I also really enjoyed the performances from the three main leads.

New to NWA like myself? Even though I haven't seen it, I'm guessing the theatrical cut is a little more friendly to us. The director's cut is for fans only.