NATCHEZ — Natchez residents braved the weather Friday to see what was up with “Get On Up.”

The Tate Taylor biographic film about James Brown staring Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul opened Friday for its first day on the silver screen.

Reviews from residents leaving the theater at the Natchez Mall were positive, but left something to be desired.

Nia Chatman and Jazmine Bacon were extras in the Apollo scene of the movie. The pair was excited to spot themselves and Natchez.

“I saw a lot of places that we recognized,” Chatman said. “I’m glad they’d bring something good to Natchez.”

Bacon and Chatman enjoyed the movie, and particularly Boseman’s portrayal of Brown.

“Some of the parts (Boseman) actually looked a lot like James Brown,” Bacon said.

Natchez resident Jack Kelly echoed the praise.

“I thought only James Brown could move like (James Brown).”

Not everyone felt Taylor portrayed Brown, or Natchez, as well as he could have.

Prentiss Fells and Diane Raglin from Natchez went with Sherlene Murry from Vicksburg to see the film.

Raglin is a self-professed movie fanatic. She enjoyed the movie, but did not care for Taylor’s choice to not tell Brown’s story chronically.

The film depicts Brown’s story, non-sequentially, from childhood to roughly the age of 60.

“I didn’t like how it jumped. I don’t even know how he started singing,” Raglin said. “I was expecting more.”

The want for more detail in 138-minute film was also felt by Murry, who wanted to see more of the drama of Brown’s life.

“It was too clean,” Murry said. “In (biographic) movies you want to see the bad parts.”

The group also did not see any of the places in Natchez, and other southern cities, they recognized.

Despite all the critiques, Fells felt pretty positive about the movie.

“I’ll probably come back and see it again,” Fell said. “The music was the best part.”

“Get On Up” will be playing at the UA Natchez Mall 4 theater today at 12:30 pm, 3:45 p.m., 7 p.m., and at 10:10 p.m.