Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
"Straight Outta Compton" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/17/2017
A biopic of controversy-courting pioneers of gangster rap N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton charts the explosive trajectory of a group of friends from the streets of Los Angeles to megastardom. The thing that first strikes you about this film is its authenticity. Not only do the performances of its young stars seem completely natural, they share a real chemistry that makes them totally convincing as friends who grew up together and they even look like the real thing; Corey Hawkins makes a remarkably convincing Dre and O'Shea Jackson's resemblance to his father is uncanny. The story of N.W.A. makes for fantastic material, living as they did lives that were like a real life version of Grand Theft Auto, from the violence and drugs of the streets through to creating some of the cornerstones of …
Rating of
4/4
True and honest to the core!
Terry - wrote on 09/25/2016
A must see for any fan of N.W.A but, if Rap music was never your thing, you’ll still enjoy it as it’s more than just about a group of friends making a breakthrough in the music industry. It’s about overcoming hardships, freedom of speech and beating the odds.
This is the story of Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, Lorenzo "MC Ren" Patterson and Antoine "DJ Yella" Carraby and the formation of N.W.A, their rise to fame and eventual split. This beauty of a film should be seen by any fan of N.W.A but, at the same time, if Rap music was never your thing, you’ll still enjoy it as it’s more than just about a group of friends making a breakthrough in the music industry. It’s about overcoming hardships, freedom of speech and beating the odds and …
Rating of
3/4
The Straight Dope
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/30/2015
You have to go in to any biography expecting some stretching of the truth (some more than others). This is easier when your subject is mostly in history books, but becomes much more challenging when the person (or in this case, group) in question are still in recent memory. The rise of NWA and their brand of music was an indelible part of the entire hip-hop/rap industry and while I'm sure certain liberties were taken, Straight Outta Compton does an excellent job of covering their story.
A film can only be as strong as your characters. The casting is spot on - the son of Ice Cube, O'Shea Jackson Jr., is a spot-on choice for his father. Corey Hawkins is perhaps given the most coveted role as Dr. Dre. Jason Mitchell is likewise a standout as Easy-E with Neil Brown Jr. and Aldis Hodge …
Rating of
3.5/4
Straight Outta Compton
lastonetoleave - wrote on 08/27/2015
Straight Outta Compton (2015) R The film revolves around the rise and fall of the Compton, California hip hop group N.W.A., led by Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.). The first part of this film, showing the origins of the three principal rappers, is a blast to watch. I especially enjoyed Ice Cube’s story, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube’s real life son) stands out in his picture perfect portrayal. The movie's concert scenes are fun, powerful and make you feel like you are in the live audience. The film slows down considerably once (spoiler alert, sort of) when the group breaks up. And, it just seems that the film is just introducing characters like Snoop Dogg and Tupac for the wow factor instead of propelling the storyline. …
Rating of
3.5/4
"Damn, That Sh*t Was Dope!"
Unknown - wrote on 08/18/2015
'Straight Outta Compton' is the latest high profile musical biopic. The story hits the genre beats you'd expect: rags-to-riches, excess lifestyle, breaking up, and some form of tragedy to end on. While those points are hit, they aren't presented in the most by-the-book fashion. There's no escaping the Hollywood quota to gloss over certain factual elements, but the film does this to a somewhat lesser extent. The producers (Dr. Dre and Ice Cube) definitely kept a hard real life edge to the material as much as possible. Though, the final act does drag a bit towards the end when most scenes become comprised of one-off situations that felt included just because they previously took place. It almost gave the feeling of a 'Behind the Music' type show. If so, then it's the best one I've …
