They said John Singleton was trying to defame Tupac with his script, I'm starting to wonder if they lied. It barely touches on his younger life, glosses over the main bits and moves on way too fast. The dialogue is boring. The controversial sexual assault scene did not go the way he said it went so I'm wondering how much more was fiction.
One of the biggest things I noticed was that Tupac was almost too perfect. People know he wasn't perfect, he was flawed, he was paranoid and he had a hot temper to go with it. This movie skips all of that. It's too scared to show anything that may put him in a bad light, but fans of Tupac accept his flaws and respect him regardless. Perhaps the next director who picks this up should remember that.
Although the acting wasn't too bad and mostly the script was shabby, I've always thought Romany Malco would be a better fit for Tupac since he has a stronger on-screen presence and more acting experience.
Someone needs to pick this back up and do a movie that actually fits his legacy, I'm not even a big fan of rap music or Tupac, but if the Biggie Smalls movie and NWA movie got such great reviews and actually did a good job, I can't imagine how annoyed Tupac fans are feeling that this is by far the weaker of the free.
My recommendation, do not pay to go see this movie at the cinema. It doesn't deserve any box office plaudits. It needs to bomb to put the people behind it to shame.
All Eyez on Me
2017
Action / Biography / Drama / Music
Plot summary
Tells the true and untold story of prolific rapper, actor, poet and activist Tupac Shakur. The film follows Shakur from his early days in New York City to his evolution into being one of the world's most recognized and influential voices before his untimely death at the age of 25. Against all odds, Shakur's raw talent, powerful lyrics and revolutionary mind-set propelled him into becoming a cultural icon whose legacy continues to grow long after his passing. ALL EYEZ ON ME stars Kat Graham, Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper, Jamal Woolard, Danai Gurira and Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac Shakur.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Fails to inspire
A series of bullet points told in cliff-notes form- Tupac Shakur deserved far better than this
Generally am somebody who dislikes rap, being a diverse listener of music while raised primarily on classical and opera as a result of coming from a musical family. However, once in a while there are rap/hip hop figures that are talented and have music that is more than tolerable for rap.
One such example is Christopher "Notorious B.I.G" Wallace, whose life was documented in the 2009 film 'Notorious', which did have issues but there were things such as the brilliant performance of Jamal Woolward that made it watchable. Another example is Tupac, whose life is documented here in 2017's 'All Eyez on Me'. 'All Eyez On Me' could have been good, for somebody who did have an interesting life. Unfortunately it really does fail to do this artist and his life justice.
'All Eyez on Me' isn't without redeeming values. Its best asset, and the only outstanding thing about it, is the lead performance of Demetrius Shipp Jr, who perfected Tupac's look and mannerisms to startling effect. The cast were largely miss, but there were a couple of hits in the form of Jamal Woolward, again as Notorious B.I.G, and particularly Kat Graham who really tries to give some heart to the film and to her scenes with Shipp Jnr.
However, 'All Eyez On Me' goes on for far too long (have sat through many long films and there are a lot that are brilliant, such as 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Ben Hur' and 'Gone With the Wind) and such a length isn't justified by how little it does with its content. It does try to cram in too much, some of it in a short space of time, and doesn't explore any of it in enough detail. Some scenes were random and unnecessary, succeeding in slowing the film down and making one question why they were there in the first place.
With the information given in 'All Eyez On Me', it all felt like a series of bullet points, explored in cliff-notes form at best and at worst telling us nothing. Didn't care for the idea to spell out Tupac's every thought when it once again tells us little, as one can see 'All Eyez On Me' is very short on revelations or anything new (which is misleading as it was advertised in a way that it would tell us something new and un-told) which is frustrating and feels like a cheat for fans. Some of it, especially the scenes detailing Tupac's relationship with Jada, felt like the truth had been distorted for dramatic effect/license.
Didn't see the need for the narration either in filmed interview form, that was very clumsily inserted and basically spoon-fed events with no subtlety whatsoever. Amateur hour Youtube and music videos have better production values than here, and while the music was good a lot of the placing was random. It's all poorly scripted, flatly directed and whose bright idea was it to bring in performers and such as themselves and not give them anything to do.
In conclusion, Tupac deserved better, in no way does 'All Eyez On Me', despite Shipp Jnr and Graham's valiant efforts, do the man and his very interesting (which couldn't have been less compellingly depicted here) life justice. 2/10 Bethany Cox
Tupac Lifetime biopic
In 1995, a reporter interviews imprisoned rapper Tupac Shakur as he recounts his life. His Black Panther mother pregnant with him is released from prison after her exoneration. It's a struggle with the FBI, their move to the west coast, rough neighborhoods, and her drug use. This documents his rise, his friendship and rivalry with Biggie, and his troubles with his label. Eventually, he signs with Suge Knight and Death Row Records.
This biopic actually made his epic life story somewhat boring. It has his music but it's not used effectively. There is no real style to the film. Demetrius Shipp Jr. is functional as Tupac but he doesn't have the charisma. It touches on all the important points but it doesn't dig that deeply. It follows Tupac's point of view which makes sense since it's his telling. It also keeps a damper on the proceedings. This is closer to a Lifetime biopic than what Tupac deserves.