I wanted to see Straight Outta Compton when it came out, but I was traveling in India at the time, and as you might have guessed, that particular movie wasn't playing in the area. But fortunately, I was able to watch it this past weekend.
This movie focuses on the gangsta rap group N.W.A. -- how they formed, how they became famous, how they broke up, and how they influenced politics. The group was formed on the mean streets of Compton (in the southern part of L.A.) in the 1980s. Members include MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, with the last three being the most notable.
F. Gary Gray directed it, and the main three icons are portrayed by Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E), O'Shea Jackson, Jr (Ice Cube) and Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre) -- relative unknowns who were perfect for the roles.
Most of what you see in the film is quite true, with a few pieces that have some slight changes and even a couple parts that were made simply for the movie. I loved that Straight Outta Compton was hard and real throughout. It starts with a scene that sets the mood of the culture of living in a place like Compton -- a place where drugs, alcohol, guns and police brutality run rampant. I like that the movie didn't just want to tell you why Dr. Dre and Ice Cube left Eazy-E and N.W.A., but it also wanted to shed some light on race relations and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Before the movie came out, #thehubs wasn't sure how well the movie would play because N.W.A. was around 25 years ago. Would an older audience understand the gangsta rap culture? And a younger audience might find the idea of it cool, but they probably weren't even alive when all of this happened. So I must say, it's quite nice to see how well the film is doing (three straight weeks at the top of the box office with more than $130 million earned).
I recommend that you see this movie because it's more than just Beats by Dre. It's more than just Ride Along and 21 Jump Street. It's more than just gangsta rap. It actually has a strong message that resonates with our current race relations/police brutality/political bias that's front and center now in 2015. But it's not a sad, dramatic biopic. It's super funny (with a great nod to Bye Felicia) and the music is reminiscent and entertaining.
Have you seen this movie yet? What did you think? Did you know of NWA before this film? Would love for you to share your thoughts with me via Twitter and/or Facebook!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
This movie focuses on the gangsta rap group N.W.A. -- how they formed, how they became famous, how they broke up, and how they influenced politics. The group was formed on the mean streets of Compton (in the southern part of L.A.) in the 1980s. Members include MC Ren, DJ Yella, Eazy-E, Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, with the last three being the most notable.
Most of what you see in the film is quite true, with a few pieces that have some slight changes and even a couple parts that were made simply for the movie. I loved that Straight Outta Compton was hard and real throughout. It starts with a scene that sets the mood of the culture of living in a place like Compton -- a place where drugs, alcohol, guns and police brutality run rampant. I like that the movie didn't just want to tell you why Dr. Dre and Ice Cube left Eazy-E and N.W.A., but it also wanted to shed some light on race relations and how the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Before the movie came out, #thehubs wasn't sure how well the movie would play because N.W.A. was around 25 years ago. Would an older audience understand the gangsta rap culture? And a younger audience might find the idea of it cool, but they probably weren't even alive when all of this happened. So I must say, it's quite nice to see how well the film is doing (three straight weeks at the top of the box office with more than $130 million earned).
Have you seen this movie yet? What did you think? Did you know of NWA before this film? Would love for you to share your thoughts with me via Twitter and/or Facebook!
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
