Rocketman

Rocketman decides to focus on Elton John's character evolution more than anything else, chronicling his life from when he was a wee-little boy to his glory days as the colorfully decorated, piano-playing, musically blustering star. One detail I must address that really hoisted the exploration of John's life was, in reality, the "R" rating.

You get to see a respectful and psychological turn in his persona, you get to witness the heartbreaking "addictions" that he constantly forces himself into, you get to view the uncut collision of him dealing with his sexuality, and you even get to feel that loss of love that Elton had felt when he persistently questioned his relationship with peers. All of these affairs are dispensed without and blockades or any desires of censorship and I must commend the filmmakers for going about this risky decision.

And sure, Rocketman is arguably quite the corn-fest at times, but the movie is able to take these cheesy elements of the typical rockstar biopic and format it into a creative fashion that characterizes more charismatic and less repetitive exhibitions. Which brings me to my next point...

I am so pleased that Rocketman turned out to be a nearly full-on musical? I mean, it had to find some way to be different from Bohemian Rhapsody, right? Whenever a musical note comes on it's not just there for Elton John fan-a-holics. The songs always pertain to the presented events transpiring on screen. The methods they use to present the songs as well, offer some more than compulsive and devouring visuals. I also appreciated how they redid all the songs to fit the scenes in a more appropriate manner. It makes the film seem less like a compilation of Elton's original greatest-hits and more like a rendition of what each song means to the story.

Now, Taron Egerton's performance in this is...wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW. He is just bleeding with range and chaotic pizazz in this encapsulation of a contrasted human individual. If someone is worthy of an Oscar nomination this year, it's this guy.

Rocketman doesn't entirely rely on nostalgia like most of its kind does-that implying that sometimes it does, however-and most of its misfit adventures proved about in the story seem earned rather than glossed over at a maximum pace of negligence. Definitely check this one out, especially if you're an Elton John fan!

First things first, Elton John being one of the most famous artists in the world, with a career of about half a century and 300 million albums sold, a biopic was then more than legitimate and was even eagerly awaited. This film is conceived like a musical based on the songs and the life of Elton John, from the 50s to the early 80s, the selected songs being representative of the manifold events of his life, the ups (his life as an accomplished artist mainly) and the downs (his whole private life according to the movie), since his childhood during which he quickly turns out to be a natural born musician until his first sentimental disappointments and the first cures of detoxification (alcohol, drug, ... and tutti quanti). The movie ends with the punchy « I'm still standing », song written in 1983 after a bad patch and foreshadowing a frantic recovery of his life, the lyrics being written by his friend Bernie Taupin.

One of my favorite scenes among many others is the meeting at the Royal Academy of Music, with the third movement of the Sonata Piano No. 11 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played twice. I do not know if it's true but, if so, this child is ingeniously bluffing!

The costumes are superb and the actors are fabulous. The realization is ingenious especially with the appropriate and relevant insertion of the songs in the film, like in a musical. As a synthesis: 7/8 of 10.

Taron Egerton's portrayal of Elton John is superb and only heightened by the producers allowing Taron to sing his own versions of many of Elton John's classic hits. It would be impossible to capture all aspects of Elton John's life in the 2 hours provided in this musical/biographical film, so instead the producer/writer/director concentrated on Elton's early childhood which helped shape his destiny when he first met his partner in song writing the great Bernie Taupin played by Jamie Bell.

There were far too many other excellent performances from the supporting cast members to mention them all but I have to mention two in particular who were top notch. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elton's irresponsible (wife cheating) mother, and Richard Madden who plays John Reid one of Elton's early but serious lovers remained Elton's manager for decades after their sexual relationship ended. Both of these actors added a lot to the films depth in the one area that focused on Elton's tormented soul and led him to binge drinking and pill popping which is the area this film reflected.

I hope we don't have to wait for Elton John to pass away (God forbid) before some producer realizes that Elton John and Bernie Taupin whose lifestyles and personalities are so diametrically opposite that they deserve their life stories to be developed into a (minimum) ten (10) hour TV Mini-Series to cover a heck of a lot of both of these musical genius's personal lives as well as their successes with their musical portfolios.

Rocketman is well worth seeing and rates a perfect 10 out of 10 in my version of Elton John's quasi autobiography book.

Really good biopic, different to what I thought it would be, Taron Egerton was awesome , loved how the songs were integrated in film, give it a go you won't be disappointed!

Although classical music and opera is more my cup of tea/forte, that has never stopped me from having always admired Elton John and loving most of his songs. "Your Song", "Something About the Way You Look Tonight", "I'm Still Standing" and pretty much all the songs in 'The Lion King' are especially great, one of the few exceptions being "Crocodile Rock". He is/was also a quite interesting man, both stage persona and personal life, and the period that is primarily focused on is a very compelling one and worthy of being told on film.

'Rocketman' was not a perfect film, but on the most part it was thoroughly enjoyable and at its best dazzlingly executed when seeing it in the cinema earlier this year. As far as films released in 2019 goes, 'Rocketman' is to me in the better half. Even if accuracy and the chronology can be called into question, it still makes John and his personal life, detailing his childhood, early career and how it came to be and the troubled period of his career, quite fascinating. As well as being worthy of a lot of admiration in its own right.

Not everything works. For my liking, the last twenty minutes or so are executed too tidily.

While John and Bernie Taupin are well rounded and fully realised characters, the other characters, despite being well acted by particularly Bryce Dallas Howard, felt like underdeveloped caricatures (i.e. the parents' cold behaviour towards Reggie not being explained).

However, 'Rocketman' has so many things working in its favour and more so than the bad. First and foremost, Taron Egerton. A totally committed and quite brilliant performance full of confidence, swagger, flair, subtlety and nuance, not to mention a great singing voice, treating John with respect without impersonating him. The scene where he opens up to his mother and his reaction to her cold response was heart-breaking in particular. Jamie Bell is the other performance worthy of note and the relationship between John and Taupin is handled beautifully, with the right amount of intensity but also taste. One can tell how well they clicked and feel their mutual affection and it really drives the film and at times the heart of it.

It looks great too, beautifully photographed and John's flamboyant costumes are a sight to behold, one of the bigger examples being that unlike-anything-you've-seen-before one in the therapy. The songs are as magnificent as one expects and staged with a lot of brio and confidence without being overblown. The very moving "Your Song", performance and the understated staging, being a big standout in this regard, another powerful part being with what is done with the opening of "Yellow Brick Road", done so truthfully and mirroring what is going on at that present moment without spelling it out too much and showing how much Taupin cares for John. Heck, the film even manages to make "Crocodile Rock" tolerable in one of the film's more exuberant moments.

The script manages to be both entertaining and sincere, underneath all the flashiness there is depth too. There may be conventional moments in the story (a lot of biopics though are like that), but the scenes showing off John's unique showmanship are difficult to look away from and the story detailing John's troubled personal life at the time is powerful. A great job is done showing who John is, what he is and how his mind worked when dealing with troubles and when he was writing and performing. Dexter Fletcher's direction is adept.

Summing up, a very, very good and often great film that just misses out on being brilliant. 8/10