Honestly, capturing the spirit of Tupac Shakur on film was always going to be an impossible task. When the All Eyez on Me movie finally hit theaters in 2017, after years of production hell and director swaps, the expectations weren't just high—they were tectonic. We’re talking about a man who wasn't just a rapper, but a poet, an activist, a film star, and eventually, a martyr for a generation.
It’s been a while since it came out, but the conversation hasn't really died down. If you look at the reviews from the time, they were... well, they were brutal. Critics tore it apart. Fans were split right down the middle. Some people loved seeing Demetrius Shipp Jr. embody Pac because, let's be real, the resemblance is eerie. Others felt like the movie played out like a "greatest hits" compilation rather than a deep, soulful look at a complex human being. It felt like a Wikipedia page come to life, which is a shame given how much raw material there was to work with.
The Struggle to Get the All Eyez on Me Movie Made
The road to this film was messy. You had directors like Antoine Fuqua and John Singleton attached at different points. Singleton, who actually directed Tupac in Poetic Justice, eventually walked away from the project. He didn't just leave; he made it pretty clear he wasn't happy with how the legacy was being handled. That's a huge red flag for a biopic. When the person who actually knew the subject says "this isn't it," people notice.
Benny Boom eventually took the reigns. Boom came from a music video background, and you can see that influence all over the All Eyez on Me movie. It looks slick. The lighting is moody. The recreation of the "California Love" set or the Death Row Records era feels authentic to the visual aesthetic of the 90s. But movies need more than just a vibe. They need a narrative spine, and that’s where things started to get a bit wobbly for a lot of viewers.
Pac's life was a whirlwind. How do you fit the Baltimore School for the Arts, the Digital Underground years, the New York shooting, the prison stint, and the explosion of Death Row into two hours? You kinda can't. The film tries to do it all. Because it tries to cover everything, it sometimes feels like it covers nothing deeply.
Demetrius Shipp Jr. Had the Weight of the World on His Shoulders
Can we talk about the casting? Demetrius Shipp Jr. was a literal unknown. His father actually worked with Tupac at Death Row, which is a wild full-circle moment. Shipp didn't just look like Pac; he studied the mannerisms. The way he held his hands, that specific way Pac used to tilt his head when he was making a point—Shipp nailed it.
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But acting is more than a costume.
In some scenes, you really feel the fire. In others, the script lets him down. It’s hard to play a legend when the dialogue feels like it's trying to explain the plot to the audience instead of letting the characters live. One of the highlights, though, was Danai Gurira as Afeni Shakur. She was incredible. She brought a gravitas to the role of Pac's mother that anchored the whole first half of the film. Her performance reminded everyone that Tupac wasn't just a "thug life" icon; he was the son of a Black Panther. He was raised in a household of revolution and intellectualism.
What the All Eyez on Me Movie Got Wrong (According to Jada Pinkett Smith)
One of the biggest controversies surrounding the All Eyez on Me movie involved Jada Pinkett Smith. She and Tupac were incredibly close—soulmates in a non-romantic sense, as she’s described it. After the movie came out, she took to social media to set the record straight on several scenes.
According to Jada, the movie took some serious creative liberties that didn't sit right with her:
- The scene where Pac reads Jada a poem? Never happened.
- The goodbye at the school? Not how it went down.
- Pac never told her he was moving to LA because he was "called" there.
She wasn't trying to bash the actors; she praised Shipp and Kat Graham (who played her). She was frustrated with the filmmakers. When you’re dealing with the memory of a real person, especially one as beloved as Shakur, these "fictionalized" moments feel like a betrayal to the people who were actually there. It raises the question: do filmmakers have a responsibility to the truth, or just to the "spirit" of the story?
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The Death Row Era and the Villainization of Suge Knight
The second half of the film leans heavily into the Suge Knight years. This is the part of the story most people know, but it’s also the most sensationalized. Dominic L. Santana played Suge, and he definitely brought that imposing, terrifying energy that Suge was known for.
The movie paints a picture of a man trapped between his ambitions and the dangerous reality of the company he kept. It shows the tension between East Coast and West Coast, but it treats the Biggie Smalls relationship with a lot of caution. Jamal Woolard, who played Biggie in the movie Notorious, actually reprised his role here. It was a cool bit of continuity, but the All Eyez on Me movie doesn't dive as deep into their fractured friendship as some might have hoped. It stays on the surface of the rivalry.
Why the Critics Hated It but the Box Office Didn't
If you look at Rotten Tomatoes, the score is pretty dismal. Critics called it "clunky," "uninspired," and "surface-level." But the movie still made over $55 million at the domestic box office. That’s not a flop. It proves that the hunger for Tupac’s story is eternal. People went to the theater because they wanted to spend two more hours with him, even if it was just a simulation.
There is a specific kind of "fan-service" in the film. Seeing the recreation of the Vibe magazine interviews or the courthouse rants gives a jolt of nostalgia. For younger fans who weren't alive in 1996, it serves as a visual primer. It’s a gateway drug to his actual music and documentaries like Dear Mama.
The Technical Execution
Visually, the film is a bit of a mixed bag. Some of the concert scenes feel massive and energetic. Other scenes, particularly some of the interior dialogues, feel a bit like a TV movie. The pacing is breathless. It jumps from one major life event to the next without much room for the audience to breathe or for the emotional weight of a moment to sink in.
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One thing the movie does well is the sound design. The music, obviously, is the backbone. Hearing "Ambitionz Az a Ridah" blast through theater speakers is an experience. It reminds you why he was the biggest star in the world. But music can't save a screenplay that feels like it's checking boxes.
The Legacy of the All Eyez on Me Movie in 2026
Looking back on it now, the All Eyez on Me movie serves as a cautionary tale for the "biopic industrial complex." Since its release, we’ve seen a wave of musical biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis. Those films often take liberties with the truth to create a more cinematic narrative. The difference is that Tupac’s life was already cinematic. You didn't need to invent poems or fake meetings. The truth was actually more dramatic than the fiction.
The film's existence forced a lot of people to revisit the actual footage of Tupac. It led to a resurgence in interest that eventually paved the way for more nuanced projects. If this movie hadn't happened, would we have gotten the 2023 docuseries Dear Mama? Maybe not. That series felt like the "corrective" to the movie—it was messy, non-linear, and deeply emotional.
What You Should Do if You Want the Real Story
If you’ve watched the movie and felt like something was missing, you aren't wrong. The film is a sketch, not a portrait. To really understand the man behind the All Eyez on Me movie, you have to go to the sources the filmmakers used (and some they ignored).
- Watch the Interviews: Tupac was his own best biographer. His 1995 interview with Kevin Powell and his prison interviews are where the real "Pac" lives. You see the contradictions—the anger mixed with incredible empathy.
- Read "The Rose That Grew from Concrete": This is his book of poetry. It shows the sensitive kid from Baltimore before the "Makaveli" persona took over.
- Check out "Dear Mama" (2023): If the movie felt too glossy for you, this documentary directed by Allen Hughes (who, ironically, had a famous physical altercation with Pac in the 90s) is the definitive work. It explores the relationship between Tupac and Afeni in a way the movie only hinted at.
- Listen to the Unreleased Tracks: Beyond the hits shown in the film, his posthumous albums contain lyrics that are much more prophetic and dark than what made it into the movie's soundtrack.
The All Eyez on Me movie is worth a watch for the performances and the sheer scale of the production, but it's not the final word. It’s a starting point. It’s a flawed tribute to a flawed hero. If you go into it expecting a historical document, you'll be disappointed. If you go into it wanting to see a talented actor try his best to channel the energy of a lightning bolt, you might find something to enjoy.
Take the movie for what it is: a high-budget recreation of a myth. Then, go do the work to find the man.
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