Chris At The Pictures

This is a superb piece of edutainment from director F. Gary Gray, taking its name from the debut album of NWA. It charts the rise of the group through the late 1980’s to early 90’s, following Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E and more from the mean streets of their hometown to world-conquering success. I should mention that watching this movie for me was like diving into the deep end: I knew nothing about the NWA, Compton, the Rodney King riots or even rap music as an art form. It is to the film’s very great credit that I found it as engaging, entertaining and tense as any mega-blockbuster action drama.

Straight Outta Compton really comes into its own in the performance department. The decision to cast O’Shea Jackson Jr. (the son of Ice Cube) as a younger version of his own father is an unexpected masterstroke: not only is the physical resemblance uncanny, but Jackson Jr. carries off the way Cube holds himself and even his facial tics to boot. Jason Mitchell also turns in a very fine performance as the young Eazy-E, drawing out the emotional core of the film while his counterparts (Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, etc.) form a ring of confidence and energy around him. Paul Giamatti also appears to be having more than his fair share of fun as silly-wigged manager Jerry Heller, doing a lot of shouting and spitting in a quite diverting manner.

Whilst it’s true that a film like this is destined by default to re-tread the usual rock biopic beats, Compton differentiates itself by having the ‘behind-the-scenes’ moments (usually all too brief in its contemporaries) directed with as much – if not more – vigour, steadiness and attention to detail as the stage-shaking live shows and street-bound brawls: there’s sincerity behind the swagger.

Subtlety and delicacy aren’t always the guiding light, however. Wolf of Wall Street-level displays of excess run rampant throughout the second half, lending the length of the movie a somewhat bloated feeling. NWA’s success isn’t necessarily wearing to watch, rather the fact that I’m more interested to see the how and the why than the what. Problems also arise when the film avoids tackling the well-documented misogyny intertwined within NWA’s rise to power. A true-to-life story that’s prepared to address violence and political unrest shouldn’t be afraid to do the same with sexism.

Perhaps the film’s greatest feat (especially for those of us with little to no knowledge of the story, the debut album, or rap music itself) is reminding us that a genre of music stereotyped as merely provocative and thuggish is rooted in honesty and emotion. But for a few miniscule missteps, Straight Outta Compton’s depiction of NWA is as uncensored, urgent, and powerful as their music.

Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man felt rather lacklustre: released a mere 5 years since the last instalment in Sam Raimi’s trilogy and in the midst of a summer when it had to compete with – amongst others – Prometheus, Avengers Assemble and The Dark Knight Rises, it felt like an aimlessly wandering child being ignored by the cool kids. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 could similarly have felt a little unnecessary and forced, but takes on board the lessons learned in 2012 and makes a name for itself.

The main problem with the previous film is that the central relationship between Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) and Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) felt rather rushed in favour of the struggle between the young Spider-Man and his past. In this instalment, the problems in Peter’s more recent history are used to help develop the relationship between him and Gwen, the latter having promised her dying father that he would leave her in order to spare her the repercussions of his double life. Haunted by the prospect of having to break his promise and threatened by the emergence of a new super-villain known as Electro (Jamie Foxx), the weight of Peter’s double life and the unravelling mystery surrounding his parent’s death are brought right to the forefront.

The first thing of note in the film is that it makes a visible effort to distance itself from other superhero movies by leaving the dark and gritty tone behind and bounding into a bright and colourful comic book world. Spidey’s trademark quips are back, the film’s general palette is a rainbow of burning, vibrant colour and the soundtrack provides a surging aura to the various set pieces. The overall brighter atmosphere also means that when the dark moments do appear they are much more shocking and effective than they otherwise would have been if the whole film remained dark and downtrodden. 

One of the more noticeable elements lacking in Webb’s first Spidey flick was the absence of a strong musical theme and score. James Horner’s self-derivative and forgettable soundtrack pales in comparison to the wildly diverse and energetic score provided by Hans Zimmer. Fresh from the dim and gritty world of Nolan and Snyder, and with Pharrell Williams and Junkie XL in tow, Zimmer gives Spider-Man a brash, memorable central theme and a deep, thrumming electronic theme for Electro, which not only works in orchestra with the actual sound effects within the film but is also the subject of one of Spidey’s many in-fight jokes.

The central relationship between Peter and Gwen (helped by the real-life relationship between the two leads) provides a stable emotional core on which the rest of the film is built, both Garfield and Stone finding their feet and creating a believable on-screen romance. In terms of side characters, the dual villain structure remains well-balanced, not sinking to the ridiculous depths of Spider-Man 3 but giving both Electro and his associate equal (and occasionally shared) screen time. Whilst Electro’s backstory and development feels a little rushed, Jamie Foxx gives a fine performance, his uncertain, stuttering fan boy exterior giving way to a gravelly, rage-fuelled core. Dane Dehaan (who has come a long way since his breakout appearance in Chronicle) adds a degree of charisma and insidiousness while Sally Field’s fragile but determined role as Aunt May keeps Peter and the story grounded.

While some character elements feel a little hurried and the continuing plot thread concerning Peter’s absent father is forced and contrived, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 provides a solid and memorable entry into the web-slinger’s cinematic universe and provides a link to future films that is woven into the plot without choking the main narrative. Sporting fresh visuals, well-developed central characters, and a proper comic book sensibility, the film is a turning point in the continuing franchise.

4 Stars