‘Compton’: a moving hit despite faults

A group of men, decked out in their snapbacks and Los Angeles Raiders gear, stood on top of the world for a just a brief moment in history.

At least, that’s how you will feel after seeing “Straight Outta Compton.”

The movie, which premiered Aug. 14, has already become both a critical and box office hit. It currently holds a rating of 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 72 percent on Metacritic. Its domestic earnings add up to $160 million. The movie is, in layman’s terms, a success.

“Straight Outta Compton” attempts to weave together the complicated story lines of the even more complicated men in N.W.A., and it succeeds for the most part.

Despite being a member of the band from 1988 — 1991 and creative consultant on the film, MC Ren felt underrepresented in the film after seeing the trailer. He turned to the social networking site, Twitter, to express his disapproval.

“Man f— these b—-es at universal pictures leaving me out the movie trailers tryin to rewrite history,” said MC Ren.

Despite his comments, he later tweeted his support for the cast, crew and the finished product.

Audience members also enjoyed the film, while remaining critical of the cast, which includes Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Paul Giamatti as Jerry Heller, and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. as his father, Ice Cube.

“I felt like Ice Cube’s actor in the movie didn’t portray the same artistic ability that his father had,” said Early College junior Erin Goeke. “Eazy-E’s actor kind of overshadowed his talent. But when listening to “F— the Police,” Ice Cube’s verse is all that I care about.”

While the film makes a valiant attempt to tie together 10 years’ worth of material, it forgets one vital thing: the women.

There is a large number of women characters: mothers, girlfriends, wives and, of course, groupies. However, their presence is usually relegated to a couple speaking lines, less if they are wearing a bikini.

Many found these omissions upsetting, including Dee Barnes, a woman attacked by Dr. Dre at a party in 1991. Barnes wrote an editorial for Gawker in August titled “Here’s What’s Missing From Straight Outta Compton: Me and the Other Women Dr. Dre Beat Up” discussing the film.

“(The attack) isn’t depicted in ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ but I don’t think it should have been, either,” said Barnes in her editorial. “The truth is too ugly for a general audience … But what should have been addressed is that it occurred.”

Barnes further laments the film’s erasure of the many women who worked with N.W.A., including collaborator and Dr. Dre’s former girlfriend, Michel’le.

Despite a few vital mistakes, the movie struck a chord.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that it left me feeling happy, but it was captivating and gave me more of an appreciation for music, especially gangster rap,” said Early College senior Kyler Skipper. “I used to think it was crude but after watching ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ I realized what events created those lyrics and the effects that it had on people.”

The events that shaped N.W.A and the entire genre of gangster rap are extremely relevant to our generation, as well.

The eerie similarities with the past year’s Black Lives Matter protests and the scenes of police brutality scattered throughout the film also impacted plenty of viewers.

Taken as a whole, ‘Straight Outta Compton’ is an enjoyable and hard-hitting film that, while flawed, will leave viewers breathless and humming ‘F— the Police’ all the way home.