Read Ashley's review of Rocketman.
ROCKETMAN is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story – set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton – tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. ROCKETMAN also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother.
Rocketman is in theaters on May 31st, 2019.
Rocketman is the biopic about legendary singer Elton John. It follows his life from his childhood, born as Reginald Dwight to being reborn into the household name he is today. The film shows the hardships he encountered including drug abuse and depression despite having such a joyful stage presence. Can this movie deliver a biopic that is one to be remembered?
Knowing how over the top Elton John is this movie had some big shoes (and flashy fashion) to fill. Instead of going for the typical biopic, they tell the story in the form a musical where fantasy meets reality. The use of his songs to tell the story of his life was a sight to see and very entertaining from beginning to end. The mix of fantasy and reality helped to show the unpredictability of John’s substance abuse and how much it truly effected his daily life.
Taron Egerton as Elton John was perfectly cast. The two have worked together before in Kingsman: The Golden Circle and he even sang his hit song “I’m Still Standing” for a second time in Rocketman (the first being in Sing). Egerton sang the all of the songs instead of using the originals which was a nice touch. Egerton had John’s mannerisms well matched which showed that he did his research. The supporting cast including the actors who played his parents, best friend/songwriter and manager did great in their roles as well. Telling such a dramatic story can be difficult but they nailed it. There were several scenes where it felt realistic in their relationships and pulled the audience through so many emotions.
The thing that bothered me the most about this movie was that there were no dates. There were barely any locations either except for when verbally stated. It was hard to follow it in some parts because of this other than trying to match the fashion with the year it was focusing on.
Rocketman delivered the perfect biopic to showcase Elton John’s road to fame. It is mersmixed fantasy and reality in a way that captured John’s flamboyance and tortured mind.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Ashley (Contributing Editor) is an Orlando native who loves watching movies. Her favorite genres include comedies, thrillers and sci-fi.Click Here to check out Ashley's Articles.