Review: Rocketman

This is a biopic done right. Rocketman is a jukebox musical blending both reality and fantasy before your very eyes. Actor Taron Egerton sings his heart out as the beloved Sir Elton John.

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Through highs and lows, the film grapples with addiction, depression, and self-acceptance. Never shying away from John’s flamboyant side, Rocketman is a musical fantasy that reaches for the sky. Note: this film is a thousand times better than last year’s mediocre biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Rocketman came and sung its heart out at the box office this summer. Sir Elton John’s moving biopic is one of the best films of the year. Taron Egerton earns his acting chops in the role of a lifetime. He sings, he dances, and he hits John’s fashion aesthetic to a T. He could easily be nominated for an Oscar come January. This is what a superior film of an artist’s life looks like. Rocketman doesn’t shine away from John’s struggles, it embraces them.

This is what makes this movie so fitting, the fact that director Dexter Fletcher (Eddie The Eagle) was able to dig deep into John’s addictions and make them full flesh on the screen. Accompanied by Fletcher is screenwriter Lee Hall (Billy Elliot and War Horse), whose tough script gives us a portrayal of a legendary man, pianist, and singer – but who also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Rocketman also marks the first for a Hollywood production to include a gay male sex scene within the film. John pushed for this film to be real and for the studio not to tone it down. Paramount Pictures abided by John’s demand and gave us a deeply moving picture that is both raw and honest. I’ve never seen a movie so seamlessly blend fantasy and reality all into one musical picture. This is what makes Rocketman so brilliant and ambitious.

Through his phenomenal career Sir Elton John has produced some incredible albums. Including: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), Honky Château (1972), Madman Across the Water (1971), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Caribou (1974), and Too Low for Zero (1983). John couldn't of made it where he is today if it wasn't for his loyal friend and song writer Bernie Taupin (a wonderful Jamie Bell). Together, their collaboration has produced some of the very best songs that will live on from generation to generation. Including: Tiny Dancer,  Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Rocket Man, Bennie and the Jets, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, The Bitch Is Back, I Want Love, Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting), Border Song, Rock and Roll Madonna, Your Song, Amoreena, Crocodile Rock, Take Me To The Pilot, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Honky Cat, Pinball Wizard, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, and I’m Still Standing. And I am happy to say; Sir Elton John has been sober for 29 years. He is also happily married to David Furnish and they have two children together. Through it all, Rocketman will be a hard biopic film to beat for a long, long time.

Rocketman is rated R (Restricted). For language throughout, some drug use and sexual content.

Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, and Bryce Dallas Howard