Review Revue: "Straight Outta Compton," "The Man From UNCLE"

This week at the multiplex, weve got hip-hop legends (Straight Outta Compton, starring OShea Jackson, Jr., and Corey Hawkins) and Cold War super spies (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., starring Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander). Find out what the critics have to say on Rotten Tomatoes.

Straight Outta Compton

N.W.A.s revolutionary blend of provocative lyrics, sophisticated production, and self-mythology continues to reverberate across the pop culture landscape. Critics say Straight Outta Compton is an energetic document of the distinct personalities (and social conditions) that made the group hip-hop royalty without succumbing to hagiography. The film primarily focuses on wordsmith Ice Cube (Cubes real-life son Oshea Jackson, Jr.), studio genius Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and hustler-c*m-rapper Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), as they rise from Compton celebrities to controversial chart toppers before suffering at the hands of the music biz and personal acrimony. Straight Outta Compton is currently at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer; check out some of the reviews here:

Fresh: An explosively entertaining biopic about the hip-hop group that brought gangsta rap into the mainstream of popular culture in the 1980s. Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Fresh: The group members stories are overly familiar to rap fans, as are portrayals of the big bad music industry in general, but that doesnt take away from the films dramatic tension. Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Fresh: As a depiction of a time and place, Straight Outta Compton from its low-rider Chevys on hydraulics blaring hip-hop to police battering ram vehicles crashing into suspected crack houses nails it. Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Rotten: Despite Straight Outta Comptons energetic acting and Grays capture of in-studio Eureka! moments, it never manages to transcend biopic hagiography. Donnell Alexander, TIME Magazine

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The world isnt exactly hurting for stylish retro spy flicks (or remakes of old TV shows, for that matter), but critics say you could do a lot worse than The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a breezy, picturesque tale of intrigue with an attractive cast and a charming sense of humor. Two agents American Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Soviet Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) team up to stop a mysterious criminal organization that threatens both nations. They get an assist from Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), an East German mechanic who has an inside track on how to infiltrate the gang. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is at 65% on the Tomatometer; heres what some of the critics are saying:

Fresh: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. plays like a lower key, vintage edition of a Mission: Impossible movie. Its a good movie with a great look. Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

Fresh: Not an update of the old TV show but a revival, with dazzling sets, period outfits and wonderfully implausible action. Its an Atomic Age blast. Rafer Guzman, Newsday

Rotten: Long on style but short on substance, [director] Guy Ritchies ring-a-ding-ding Cold War spy thriller attempts to resurrect a mothballed 60s TV series the way that Mission: Impossible did. It doesnt work this time. Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

Rotten: Its not until the climax of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a colorful, Cold War-era spy thriller, that its main failing becomes clear: The plot doesnt matter. The characters dont care. The script doesnt care. And, the audience shouldnt care either. Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press

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Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/08/14/review-revue-straight-outta-compton-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e/