Alexandra Shipp's "Aaliyah" movie gets criticized for poor, rushed retelling of late singer's life; Ratings-wise the movie was a hit despite Zendaya Coleman abandoning the production

By Staff Writer

Dec 05 2014, 04:58 AM EST

Alexandra Shipp, the replacement for Zendaya Coleman for the role of Aaliyah in Lifetime's "Aaliyah: Princess of R&B," is getting flank along with the entire movie because of its "poor" retelling of the late singer's life.

According to Complex, Lifetime's attempt to retell Aaliyah's story was "as much a tribute to her legacy as a drunk, hoarse person's impromptu cover of "Rock the Boat" at the karaoke bar is." The article proceeds to list several reasons why the biopic has failed. First on the list is the failure to secure rights to use Aaliyah's songs.

On this front, actor Shipp's singing prowess was also questioned. Complex says, "Shipp's take on Aaliyah's works are subpar. She simply lacks the spark of Aaliyah's sweet soprano." However, the article quickly clarified, "That is not a shot at Shipp; she should not have been placed in the position to sing those songs." Shipp's dancing was also described to be "not reminiscent of Aaliyah," owing to possible time restraints, as Complex thinks the movie has been rushed.

Music Times shares that Coleman quit because of "lack of production value and music rights," prompting the producers to go with another actor, Shipp.

Shipp's performance as Aaliyah may not have been received with praises, but according to Complex, she is not the worst of the actors in the movie. "Who made the choice to make Timbaland Gluten Free, and Missy Elliott thinner and lighter than she's ever been?" critics the article.

It's not all bad for the biopic, however. Billboard names it the No. 2 telepic of the year. It also reportedly garnered 3.2 million viewers for Lifetime, 1.7 million of which are within the favorable 18-to-49 demographic. Some "nostalgic approval" mixed in with "sharp disdain" in the form of online chatter also made the movie "the most-tweeted-about event on TV" since its premiere on November 15, details Billboard.

Given this, the movie is considered a win-win for Lifetime, and the article hopes that it will set the bar for Lifetime's planned take on Whitney Houston's life coming in 2015.