REVIEW: ALL EYEZ ON ME

In his heyday, before being slain in still-mysterious circumstances, the legendary (and thoroughly, posthumously overexploited) Tupac Shakur declared only God could judge him. Since his death Shakur has become a god of sorts, or at the very least a Christ figure, crucified by an unknown opponent and destined to be hip-hop's savior that left too soon. Despite the negative reviews surrounding the film before I saw it last week, I was still insistent on seeing it; 2Pac (note the name change to differentiate the man from his music) is certainly one of the greatest rappers, but he was a very flawed god if he ever was one. Instead of healing the blind he had rape allegations, and this clip I found a few years ago shows his famously hot temper when he comes across a New Yorker bootlegging his music. With George Tillman Jr.'s Notorious, concerning Biggie Smalls, a big fault of the movie was exploring the rapper's faults, his downfall. I was afraid they might polish his image to appeal to the crowd of Pac worshippers. I'm glad to report that isn't an issue, but alas, the film is as flawed as its protagonist.

Demetrius Shipp Jr. bears an uncanny resemblance to the late rapper, more so than the Coachella hologram that debuted a few years back. I eagerly hope Shipp Jr. gets remembered for this performance. Besides being a dead ringer for the man, Shipp Jr. captures a lot of Tupac's hotheadedness. Early in the film, while creating "Brenda's Got a Baby," a definitive ghetto anthem, Pac screams at the producer to get it just the way he wants it. It's an unflattering moment for the character, who up until then was shown to be a victim of circumstance; an eventually crack consuming mother, a move to the non-touristy part of California, getting the lead in the school play. Up until then I fretted director Benny Boom was going to risk canonizing Tupac just to risk demonizing him, but Shipp Jr. carried a lot of weight on his shoulders successfully. Unfortunately, the flaw lies within the structure of the film.

I'll wait for the Pac-Jada spinoff 

The movie is framed as Tupac recalling life behind bars to an anonymous interviewer. This is the equivalent of listening to a 2Pac Greatest Hits album versus listening to his chronological catalogue; you get the highlights that would be featured on a Behind the Music special, but you don't get to dive too deep. For the three or so scenes they share, Shipp Jr. and Kat Graham have some bubbling chemistry as the famous friendship of Pac and Jada Pinkett(-Smith). Writing this I wonder if the movie couldn't have just been about their friendship. Focusing and digging into one specific slice of Shakur's life would have been more rewarding than All Eyez on Me, which aims to capture this extraordinary man's twenty-five years. With such a goal, it's a shame the movie devotes a sizable section about his rape allegation, definitely choosing what side it is on. If you've ever wanted to see a reenaction of Tupac Shakur receiving a sexual favor...I guess this is the movie for you? Additionally, as nice as it is to see Jamal Woolard, who I haven't seen since Notorious, the sensational East and West Coast beef is barely touched upon, and the Notorious B.I.G. ends up in the film's peripherals.

One of the biggest compliments I can give the movie is its attempts at reconstructing reality. Before getting slain in Las Vegas, Pac performs for a crowd that know all of his words, and if the movie could've copied this electricity outside of the stage it would have been all the better for it. Dominic L. Santana looms large as Suge Knight, one of music's most despicable characters. Danai Gurira overcooks it as the late Afeni Shakur, but then again, I have no idea what the real woman looked/sounded like. I compare Gurria's raving, screaming mother to Naomie Harris' heartbreaking portrayal of a crack-addicted mom in Moonlight, and nuance seems to be all but absent. Together, it's hard not to see why the movie has been panned by critics; the structure is fundamentally flawed. But perhaps it is watchable just to see America's favorite martyr rapper explode with charisma, reciting the "California Love" verse we all still get down to. Tupac, if you are in Cuba, the Illuminati's HQ, anywhere, we miss you. And sometimes we still make movies about you just to fill your void.

Rating: 2/4 stars