Review: Rocketman

Few celebrities have had the success and longevity of Sir Elton John, and after watching Rocketman, you get a better understanding of what took him to the top and almost left him dead on the street. Starring Taron Egerton as Elton, whom most will remember as the main suave spy in the Kingsman franchise. Which is most likely where the idea for this film came from, as Elton starred in the second film.

So with a green lit film and the full support of Sir Elton John himself, we enter the life and times therein. And Elton was very much part of this process because everything is from his point of view and from his recollection. Which is great for in-depth moments, but probably colors history a bit.

At this point I should probably say this loud and clear. Rocketman is NOT Bohemian Rhapsody. Everyone is making comparisons automatically to last year’s Best Picture nominee, and to truly give the film a chance, you’ll need to leave that idea at the door. What the film actually is though, is a movie with a stage musical setup and feeling that’s brought to the big screen. Elton’s songs pepper the whole film and coincide with emotional moments to the delight of most fans. The cast and extras sing, dance and live his songs and lyrics by breaking out of the film to deliver his musical genius. Whether he’s a young man in a broken household, a starving musician with dreams of glory, a successful rock star playing Dodger Stadium or an addict skimming rock bottom in a pit of his own making, you’ll soon find that this musical uses the whole breadth of his catalog to tell his singular rockstar journey.

Rocketman is fun and filled to the brim with hits, though I still couldn’t shake the theatrical stage feel of the whole production. It never really landed fully for me, especially since I’m still questioning if Taron Egerton was really the right choice to embody Elton. I enjoyed the film at times, but also found myself a bit bored with some of the slower moments. Learning about Sir Elton’s life was definitely a privilege though, as I found myself very much in the dark to who the man was and what it took to become who he is now. As biopics go, it isn’t horrible, but it also didn’t land emotionally for me as other films of the like did, but that isn’t a bad thing. Most of the film was still fun and fans of his music will enjoy the journey. This jukebox musical is what it wants to be, much like the man himself.

Grade: C+
Running Time: 2hr 1 m
MPAA Rating: R