Review of Straight Outta Compton (2015) by Alex H — 30 Sep 2015

I know i'm late to the party... But! Here we go!... Straight Outta Compton is a musical biopic that is entertaining for sure but not without it's faults. While the cultural issues surrounding the times feels very poignant and gave me goosebumps and despite it's length the film is very well paced and not a moment drags. The acting from the relatively unknown cast is tremendous while each cast member jells well with one another giving real credibility that they're actually a crew. Lastly, contrary to other reviews, I myself found the 2nd half of the film MUCH more interesting than the 1st. Ice Cube's solo career and Dre's disputes with Ruthless records felt a lot more focussed and less wishy washy than the rushed and messy telling of the forming and success of N.W.A. Which is when I get on to talk about the bad... The script itself I found to be a little shoddy. From the cheesy/forced dialogue to the messy progression; Straight Outta Compton proves the theory that history is written by the winners. The biased view on their own careers, lives and personalities lead the film to feel very superficial with little to no depth. Which is a shame and hypocritical as they themselves quote the entire way through the film about how honest they are. As a huge N.W.A, Ice Cube and Dre fan I had been looking forward to seeing some of the psychology of the characters and the actual process of them making the music but all I got was montages which to me was very disappointing. It's definitely no Control and it's certainly not Walk The Line; but Straight Outta Compton with it's faults is the best rap biop out there... I'm not sure if it's a backhanded compliment or not, but, that's how i'm ending this review so... yeah.

P.s. FUCK THA POLICE!