The Tupac Shakur biopic, “All Eyez on Me,” did rather well its first box office weekend despite the backlash the movie’s received from critics and fans. The Lionsgate-Codeblack release pulled in an estimated $27.1 million and landed in third place behind “Wonder Woman” and “Cars 3.” The cinematic portrayal of one of hip-hop’s greats wasn’t expected to do so well. Many analysts projected that the film’s first weekend would gross maybe $20 million, if that. “All Eyez on Me” is based on the life of Tupac Shakur, who at 25-years old stamped an imprint on the culture that has lasted for generations. The rapper – who would have been 46 this year – was shot and killed during a drive-by in Las Vegas in 1996. “All Eyez on Me” stars acting newbie Demetrius Shipp Jr.(as Tupac), Danai Gurira (Pac’s mother, Afeni), Kat Graham (Jada Pinkett), Annie Ilonzeh (Kidada Jones), and many others. The biopic’s backlash was cemented when Jada Pinkett herself expressed her feelings about her and Tupac’s relationship. She felt as though the film did not do an accurate portrayal of the the two former school pals’ friendship and certain scenes being fraudulently depicted. “Power” creator 50 Cent also shared a similar sentiment on Instagram, which showed his displeasure with the film. 50’s feelings were backed up by many fans who felt as though the film was visually off-key. 50 Cent even stated that it should have been on a Lifetime movie rather than a feature film. After seeing the film, I can honestly say that I left disappointed too. As someone who believes Tupac is the G.O.A.T., my expectations of the film were high. Considering that L.T. Hutton did a great job with the “Straight Outta Compton” biopic, I felt as though he and Benny Boom dropped the ball this time. The cinematic nature of scenes flip-flopping back and forth [to signify changes in time frames within Tupac’s life] so quickly was a bit awkward. There were scenes that were wobbly and didn’t encompass smooth transitions. Also, the character playing Snoop Dogg was forced to use the rappers real voice as a voice over. That was unbelievable. The strangest mishap was the Tupac and Faith club scene where viewers could actually see a smartphone being used. Smartphones didn’t even exist in the 1990’s! Clearly, “All Eyez on Me” was a rush job and I could tell. Even L.T. Hutton stated that it took them 48 days or so to shoot the film in Atlanta. It’s unfortunate that the end result of this film didn’t come out better. Overall, I personally gave the film a C grade. Photo credit: Codeblack Films
