Rocketman: Review

Rocketman hit cinemas with a flash, giving audiences a chance to explore the life of hit musician Elton John, from his days as Reginald Dwight to his international super-stardom. In a steady season of musical biopics, Rocketman stood out with its larger-than-life visual style and its honest portrayal of the world behind all the glitz and glamour of rock and roll.

The movie was full to the brim of outstanding performances. Taron Egerton gave an incredible performance as Elton John. He did not slip into the easy trap of merely mimicking performances or persona, developing a personal connection to the role which removed the possibility of getting a strange sense of uncanny valley. Egerton’s vocals shone through, again putting his own stamp on the classic soundtrack. His chemistry with Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin was a delight to watch. The instant connection of their friendship was so natural, and later moments proved the enduring power of their relationship – providing some of the more grounded moments in an otherwise outlandish and camp film.

Contrasting the more straightforward and linear interweaving of music found in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman feels ready for the stage

Director Dexter Fletcher truly brought the story to life, bringing together the deeply intimate story of the script with the musical flair necessary to capture John’s life in a truthful way. Contrasting the more straightforward and linear interweaving of music found in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman feels ready for the stage – feeling at times far more like a jukebox musical than a straight retelling alongside John’s extensive catalogue. The Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting sequence was dazzling, somehow totally over the top and yet still a gritty and real look at the transition from teenage years to adulthood. Crocodile Rock proved to be one of the most memorable moments, with John and the audience literally flying in the Troubadour as the reality of his success begins to sink in. Though much of the praise will inevitably fall on the ambitious musical sequences, Fletcher managed to direct the relationships between John and the other characters just as well. Simple touches and movements grounded an avant-garde biopic in reality and created a movie with which anyone could relate. Doing so with such a unique story which mirrors no one else’s experience was a difficult task, but Fletcher rose to the challenge.

One of the highlights of the movie was the way it managed to capture how a relationship – however brief – can consume and affect a person. Egerton and Richard Madden’s chemistry shone through as something real and passionate. Their controversial sex scene was intimate and small, a contrast to the rest of the film’s grandeur. This was an excellent moment which didn’t exaggerate or play to tropes about gay relationships – it simply and honestly showed their connection, and how such a formative moment in John’s sexuality allowed the interconnection of business and pleasure to consume his life. As we see more of their relationship, the fighting, the infidelity, there is always recognition of how much John needed John Reid, both emotionally and professionally. Despite only being together for five years, their story fills a large proportion of the movie, highlighting how much weight John gave to the relationship in retelling his story.

Every musical moment was carefully crafted to elicit the right emotional response

Above all, what made Rocketman so fantastic was the music. A catalogue as extensive as John’s gave the writers a lot of material to work with, and every musical moment was carefully crafted to elicit the right emotional response. The highs and lows were made so much stronger by their coupling with John and Taupin’s incredible writing. The music transported even the youngest in the audience into a sense of nostalgia, or wishing they had the chance to be amongst the crowds at the beginning of John’s career. Music is at the movie’s heart, just as it was at the heart of John’s life, so it feels only fitting that it’s this aspect of Rocketman everyone is left thinking about.