Rocketman (2019) Review

"It's lonely out in space."

-Elton John

A biopic about the life of Elton John (Taron Egerton) that carries fact into the realm of fantasy.  This film shows the rise and fall of Elton as he learns who he really is and how to love himself even when it seems no one else will.

What Works:

What Rami Malek did for Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Taron Egerton does for Elton John here.  Egerton absolutely nails the role, both the highs and the lows.  He's a blast in all of the musical performances and brings the film to soaring heights, but when Elton has low points, Egerton brings us right back to Earth.  It's amazing that this is the same guy from Kingsman and it might just get him a nomination for Best Actor.

The musical numbers are a ton of fun.  This movie isn't just a retelling of events, it blends some fantasy into the story.  The songs really feel like musical numbers to the extent that it feels like a stage play at certain points.  The filmmakers got really creative with how they told this story and I love it.

Normally I don't like when stories are told through flashbacks, but I think it works here.  Having the film opening with Elton entering rehab in absurd fashion is a great way to kick things off and the sequences in rehab are weird enough that they fit with the rest of the film.  It helps that Elton John is still alive in real life, so having flashbacks isn't exactly a spoiler.  We know Elton is going to make it.

I was really surprised with how dark this story got.  I'm not super familiar with Elton John and I didn't know just how depressing aspects of his story were.  In neat succession, we get heartbreaking scenes involving his father, mother, and boyfriend.  They are utterly heartbreaking and each is worse than the last.  It's really amazing how fast this movie brings us down.

Elton's suicide attempt and subsequent performance of "Rocketman" is my favorite part of the entire film.  The underwater sequences are beautiful and the Los Angeles performance ends on a bonkers note.  It really sums up the entirety of the film in one fell swoop.

Finally, the relationship between Elton and his best friend, Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), is really sweet and well developed.  It's awesome to see how fast they become friends and every scene they have together is interesting and powerful.  He's the one character in the film that truly does love Elton and his presence is greatly appreciated.

What Sucks:

This movie is about the rise and fall of Elton John and I have to say the fall is drawn out a bit too long.  The pool scene and "Rocketman" performance get the point across, but the movie continues to drag us on a downward spiral.  It wasn't all entirely necessarily and goes on for a bit too long.

Verdict:

Rocketman is very similar to Bohemian Rhapsody, but better in every way.  The musical numbers are amazing, Egerton nails the performance, there are some really powerful, heartbreaking scenes, and Jamie Bell brings some much-needed love to the film.  The downward spiral goes on for a bit too long, but this movies has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great