Rocketman

2 years ago it seems that an unlikely friendship was born on the set of Kingsman: The Golden Circle (which is still fantastic BTW, fight me). 

Taron Edgerton - British superspy - and a wonderful, hilarious cameo from Elton John acted as an introduction of sorts for the two to meet and for John to realize how talented Edgerton is. Perhaps this was all set in stone beforehand, but I'd like to think this is how it happened...

Either way, it paved the way for the wickedly talented Edgerton to portray his new friend across a musical biopic throughout the majority of his life. 

Obvious comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody will exist because it's so recent and they're both about a pair of superstars. It's immediately apparent though that the two films are drastically different in their portrayals of the central character, how "truthful" they are, and how they incorporate the music. 

Rocketman comes out on top in this comparison because, despite Rami Malek's wonderful portrayal of Mercury, Rhapsody - while very entertaining - was basically a concert of Queen's hits. Rocketman aims to tell a much more nuanced story through the fantastical rose-colored lenses of John. 

One of the first things that's readily apparent while watching Rocketman is that the value of having Elton John still alive makes for a personal, truthful tale that's likely therapeutic for him in many ways. The final scenes alone are basically a laundry list of apologies and tough truths that he delivers to people in his life and within the first 5 minutes the film starts with "I'm Elton John. I'm an alcoholic, a cocaine addict, a sex addict..." (so on and so forth). The film doesn't shy away from Elton's more insane aspects of his life and, in fact, it's the primary focus that it seems to drive home. This paints the complicated portrayal of the man who didn't have the hardest upbringing (he was in a well-off family) but who had a lot of emotional suffering as a child that carried over into his adult life. The drugs, alcohol, and sex only exacerbated the issue and as you watch the film you'll come to realize that we're actually very lucky to still have Elton John alive with us today. It makes for a compelling character study with a lot of self-admitted failures and a degree of honesty from the real Elton (he serves as an Executive Producer) that is humbling for him I'm sure and appreciated by the audience. 

This, surprisingly, fits my office dress code

Eggsy has really let himself
go after the Kingsman...

Many movies ago I stated that Taron Edgerton was a star in the making with his strong lead performance in the first Kingsman. He's charasmatic, cool, charming, etc. etc. etc. I'm glad that Hollywood didn't forget him and I'm glad he got the opportunity to do something different here. His talent shows in spades - even more so than it did in Kingsman. There's heavy emotion behind his elder Elton John and there's a light excitement with his younger version. During his descent into darkness, Edgerton doesn't skimp on being Elton full-out and there are times where he looks and acts the part so effortlessly that you'd easily mistake him for the real thing. It may not be as precision-based as Malek's recreation of Mercury, but there's a more human element here and if Malek got accolades for his portrayal (rightfully so) so too does Edgerton deserve them. The supporting cast is full of great ones, but really this is Edgerton's film as Elton. Shockingly, he even does his own singing! And it sounds great!

Speaking of song and dance, Rocketman is delightfully exciting with its music, though I'm sure it could throw some people for a loop. It's essentially a musical with random bits that break out into song and others that are performed on stage. Most of these segments are grand and they're incredibly interesting to see them through John's eyes and his perception of what they felt like. One of his early gigs in LA in particular is a highlight for the film with the crowd fantastically floating together before the song's chorus kicks back in. It's a chill inducing moment because, if only for a brief moment, you understand the adrenaline rush that a truly good performer must feel when they're completely entertaining a crowd. It's a shame then that some of the remaining musical numbers are cut so short from the full length song. I still enjoyed all of them, but there are a handful I wish had gone on further rather than rushing to get back to the story. Probably personal preference, but I'd gladly have stuck around for an additional 10 minutes to hear a few songs properly through.

This is my exact funeral attire!

Rocketman is a delight of a film that's immensely entertaining and, even if I'm not giving it a perfect score, I legitimately can't think of anything it does that's outright bad or mediocre. Edgerton's performance is astounding (which is exciting for fans of his like myself), the music is fun and has some awesome moments, and the story is touching, authentic, and at times shocking. It's all packaged in true Elton John fashion too with a ton of pizzazz and fantastical elements that, if we're being honest, help elevate it and make it stand out against other musical biopics. 

CONS

• Didn't need a trimming but could have diverted some time from "yeah we get the point" drug/alcohol scenes into longer song sequences
• Musical moments are great (and in the Pros section) but I wish there would have been more full length ones
• Some of the CG (large crowds and such) is pretty rough

PROS

• Feels truthful, authentic, and cathartic given that John is an EP on the project and it doesn't shy away from his darker moments
• Enjoyable and full-circle story about a boy who had a lot of emotional damage and eventually came round to live a fully happy life
• Taron Edgerton, singing and all, IS Elton John. It's clear he studied him throughout their friendship and he goes all in here. He should get awards buzz and if not...well that's a travesty
• Makes itself unique by doubling down on the truth and "hard" moments while adding a bit of fantasy to the whole endeavor
• Sparingly used because of other music but a touching original score
• Music is great, obviously, and there are a handful of moments that likely capture some inkling of the true awesomeness that is being on stage and entertaining a crowd
• Colorful, heartwarming, heartbreaking, fun, entertaining, deeply interesting, and shocking all describe Rocketman appropriately

 
 

 Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10