Rocketman review

ROCKETMAN:

ELTON JOHN BIOPIC WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Taron Egerton as Elton John in Rocketman

            Not to be confused with the 1997 Disney comedy of the same name, the legacy of rock icon, Elton John comes to the screen in Rocketman, the latest biopic produced by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass 1 and 2, X-Men: First Class, Kingsman 1 and 2) and directed by Dexter Fletcher (Wild Bill, Eddie the Eagle, Bohemian Rhapsody). At first glance it looks like any other music biopic that would follow the same old formula of trying to tell a story in a particular order, getting an actor who can sing similar to the original artist, and taking a lot of creative liberties (I’m looking at you Bohemian Rhapsody)…oh, and there always needs to be something related to drugs and alcohol. 

            That is not the case here, Rocketman completely surpassed my expectations and could easily be one of the best biographical films I’ve ever seen. The best way I can describe it is “Bohemian Rhapsody Fully Realized” really the only thing Bohemian Rhapsody had going for it was Rami Malek’s performance, Taron Egerton (Testament of Youth, Kingsman 1 and 2, Eddie the Eagle) as Elton John is a huge highlight that will probably sweep the awards but alongside his performance is a fascinating story depicting the high and low points of John’s career without ever feeling like Hollywood biopic gimmicks but still be both informative and entertaining.

            Rocketman isn’t another paint by numbers biopic, they could have just told Elton John’s story front to back but instead the film very cleverly works in musical numbers within the narrative to bring some life and energy to the story and they’re a ton of fun to watch. Unlike The Greatest Showman where the musical numbers felt like an afterthought to sell a soundtrack, Rocketman’s musical numbers benefit the story and you learn about what the real person is going through during these sequences. 

            The film chronicles the life of Reggie Dwight (Egerton) who as a child shows interest in playing the piano and begins studying at the Royal Academy of Music, thus becoming a prodigy. In his adulthood Reggie transforms into international superstar, Elton John and various events in his career are depicted such as concert performances, the discovery of his homosexuality, relationships with his cold mother Sheila (Bryce Dallas Howard-Spider-Man 3, The Help, Jurassic World 1 and 2) and dismissive father Stanley (Steven Mackintosh-Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Underworld 2 and 3, Luther) as well as songwriter and friend Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell-Billy Elliot, King Kong (2005), Snowpiercer) and his manager/lover John Reid (Richard Madden-Game of Thrones, A Promise, Cinderella (2015)), and of course his drug, alcohol, and sex addictions all brilliantly told through John entering rehab in the aftermath. 

            The film also stars Stephen Graham (Snatch, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and 5, Hellboy (2019)) as Dick James, Jason Pennycooke (The Big Life, Memphis, Hamilton) as Wilson, Charlie Rowe (Pirate Radio, Red Band Society, Salvation) as Ray Williams, Gemma Jones (Sense and Sensibility, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Harry Potter franchise) as Ivy, Kamil Lemieszewski (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) as Dr. Maverick, Jimmy Vee (Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Star Wars sequel trilogy) as Arthur, Celinde Schoenmaker (Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Barnum) as Renate Blauel, and Tate Donovan (Hercules, Good Night and Good Luck, Argo) as Doug Weston.

            Overall, Rocketman captures the legacy of Elton John and delivers something truly remarkable and fun at the same time. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest Elton John fan but after seeing this movie I have the urge to buy every single one of his albums from iTunes, Bohemian Rhapsody did not have that effect on me as much as I love Queen.

            The movie treats Elton John like a human being, they don’t overly glorify him, but they don’t rip him apart when the low points in his life happen. It’s a rare biopic that balances the positive and negative aspects of the real person and succeeds at depicting both.

            I knew some key elements of Elton John’s life such as his homosexuality, drug and alcohol addictions, and plenty of his songs, but there were things I did not know about until I got out of this movie like his rough childhood with his uncaring parents and where his songs were inspired by. Also, Rocketmanis groundbreaking as the first major Hollywood production to have a gay male sex scene on-screen…took them long enough.

            Taron Egerton’s performance as Elton John is the stuff of legends, he captures the appearance, wardrobe, and mannerisms of Elton but instead of being a direct copy he makes it his own. In fact, he even does his own singing for the movie and it’s eerie how similar he sounds to the real Elton, it’s not exactly like him but it’s very close, I sense an Oscar nomination.

            Rocketman is a loving tribute to one of the most influential music legends of all time that isn’t afraid to show the rougher times in his career. Add a great soundtrack and impressive musical numbers and this “Rocketman” blasts off. 

            Also I got the trailer for The Lion King (2019) before this movie…coincidence?