Rocketman

photo courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Taron Egerton is Elton John in Rocketman, a musical fantasy biopic about the celebrated singer/songwriter/performer. The movie recounts a large segment of John’s life, from his childhood in Middlesex through his struggles with addiction and depression at the height of his career. Jamie Bell plays Bernie Taupin, John’s longtime lyricist and friend, Richard Madden plays John Reid, his former manager and partner, and Bryce Dallas Howard plays John’s mother, Sheila.

     Rocketman may not be a revolutionary biopic, but it is a fun one. Director Dexter Fletcher navigates John’s life story not by avoiding familiar beats and narrative conventions, but by energizing them with a strong performance from Egerton, immersive musical set pieces, and a dash of fantasy.

photo courtesy of cnn.com

     Egerton, famous for his role in the Kingsman action franchise, has veered into “serious” acting before, with the likes of Eddie the Eagle. Only here does he finally get the chance to tackle something worthy of a real spotlight, and he’s more than up to the task. He has John’s mannerisms and tics down pat, but unlike some of the recent biopic performances, Egerton moves past impression into genuine empathy and understanding.

     He also gets to do quite a bit of show and dance. The movie incorporates John’s songs at regular intervals, sort of in the way the (much inferior) musical Across the Universe did with the Beatles’ hits back in 2007. Here the numbers are spectacular, with impressive choreography and camerawork, solid vocals from Egerton and company, and often bizarre and fantastical (if not quite psychedelic) visuals. They’re worth the watch for the costumes alone.

photo courtesy of junkee.com

     Rocketman’s narrative risks veering into cliché in places, but it generally overcomes its familiar building blocks to tell a compelling story. The movie stays tightly focused on John’s point of view, taking care to show us the damaging effects of his changing circumstances and, not insignificantly, permitting John’s sexuality to have a prominent place in the movie's narrative and sensibility. It also effectively contrasts John’s stage presence—bright, ecstatic, outgoing—with the depression and conflict that plagues him offstage. There are areas where the writing could use a dash of subtlety, as in one particularly on the nose scene toward the film’s closing minutes, but for the most part Rocketman makes good use of its emotional capital.

Rocketman is rated R for language throughout, some drug use and sexual content.

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