Straight Outta Compton Review

"I got something to say"
                                  -Ice Cube



Straight outta Compton is one of those films that I did not want to watch for the simple reason that I don't like rap. I roll my eyes and switch the channel to something else. What piqued my interest though, is the fact that people have been saying that it isn't just a good biopic, but a good movie. Now I was befuddled at this, surely a movie about rap couldn't be so good that, to the point where some people wouldn't be surprised if this got an Oscar nomination.

Now, with my interest piqued, I decided to go out and see this. I was burned more than once giving great films crap before I see them, and end up not watching it until it comes out on DVD only to regret not seeing it in theaters (like Gravity). To my delightful surprise, that was exactly what Straight Outta Compton is, a great film that focuses on characters, giving spectacular performances, and a well made film in general.

This film is about Three guys, there may be more but from someone who didn't know about this group before hand it sure made it look like it was only three guys, who came from a really bad neighborhood who are aspiring to be something great. It takes the journey of their rise, and fall, and rise again, before a very depressing ending. The story was smart, and for a two and a half hour movie it held my interest throughout the whole thing.

I really liked the fact that it showed you that these characters are human, it wasn't all roses and sunshine, especially what they had to deal with back then, and showing their softer side really made me care for them. There was this really nice scene where one of the characters gets a phone call, and he just brakes down only to be comforted by everybody in the group saying that their family. It's very touching, and sets up for the tragedy, or inevitable, brake up of the group.

Even if you don't like rap, you have to give credit where credit is due, because those concert scenes were awesome. You felt so much energy radiating off the actors as they were on stage, and the crowd as they were dancing, singing, and enjoying the show. Heck, even people in my theater started to sing with the movie, which only enhanced my feelings that I felt like I was at a concert.

The only thing I didn't like about the film was the tension was barely there. In a time period where people are noticing how the police treats certain people, you'd expect there to be hold your breath tense scenes. For the most part it kinda does; they set up those scenes, they show that there should be tension when the police are throwing the group into jail, but I just didn't feel like anyone was in danger. I'm not sure if it's because the police actors weren't putting much effort into it, or if there wasn't enough to show me that a fight could break out between the group and the police, but I just didn't find any of those scenes to hit home.

Regardless of that, this film totally deserves all the attention it's getting. People who grew up with N.W.A.'s music will love this film, and people who never heard of them, like me, will too. The acting was great, I really felt like these were what those guys would be like, and from what I hear from fans it sounds like they thought so too. Even if you don't like rap, give this a try, because as a story it's one that was perfect for the big screen, and you could argue that the whole police brutalities are still relevant to today. I could really see that there was a lot of love and passion put into this film, and I really do think that people should go out and see this.