Though its impact is still fresh, Straight Outta Compton will no doubt have a lasting effect on how the stories of musicians are presented, for better or for worse. Some have accused this NWA biopic of being an exercise in disingenuous brand promotion, with the involvement of the living members of the defunct rap group getting in the way of truth-telling. And with the numerous, negative reports coming out of the woodwork from those who were around at the time of NWA's prominence, that could very well be true. But just looking at Straight Outta Compton as a bare bones, rags-to-riches story about show business, the movie works. It works very, very well. There may not be much in the way of objectivity, but what it lacks in "the full story," it makes up for with F. Gary Gray's sharp direction and knack for stylizing the scenes in the same MTV fashion that surrounded NWA at the time. As a time capsule, if nothing else, Straight Outta Compton excels at bringing the nostalgia back in full force.
