The biopic is alive and kicking

Against all odds, the biopic is thriving. We’ve seen a flurry of real-life inspired films in the last few years, with Bohemian Rhapsody, Vice, Tolkien and the imminent release, Rocketman, hitting screens in recent times. But what makes this genre of filmmaking so attractive to Hollywood studios? Often, the biopic can wedge a foothold in the door of awards season – we’ve seen Rami Malek take home an Oscar for Best Actor playing Freddie Mercury, as did Eddie Redmayne for portraying the late Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything – but whether or not the biopic produces a good film is an entirely separate question.

The biopic demands a delicate balance of drama, corresponding to the rules and tropes of filmmaking, while also paying homage authentically to the real-life figures on which the story is based

Bohemian Rhapsody, by most accounts, was not a good film – but the effort by Malek to capture Freddie Mercury’s inimitable essence was surely worthy of acclaim. From the looks of things, Rocketman will garner a similar reaction for Taron Egerton’s portrayal of Elton John. Bohemian Rhapsody was inherently devoid of plot, character desire and conflict, but ultimately depicted the life of Queen’s music and their front man in sensational fashion (though I found the film to rely far too heavily on the ‘sensational’ music of Queen at the expense of any real heart to the story). Where I think Rocketman might have an edge is in Taron Egerton’s singing of the soundtrack, where it seemed as though no actor could replicate the task in reproducing Mercury’s music. Critique fell upon Bohemian Rhapsody for its blundering refusal to acknowledge wholly Freddie Mercury’s sexuality and sexual endeavours. Meanwhile, Taron Egerton and Richard Madden have filmed a sex scene for the Elton John biopic, one that will be cinematically-historic in its biographical nature. Still, Russia has withdrawn said sex scenes from its theatrical release, much to Elton John’s condemnation.

What is certain is that the biopic can be a hit. The King’s Speech and The Social Network are proof of that. But the accuracy of character depictions is often disputed – Mark Zuckerberg found his portrayal “hurtful”, reports Vulture. Elton John’s brother claims the portrayal of his father in Rocketman is “inaccurate”, according to The Independent. Real life figures don’t always make the best characters – and the biopic might vilify some or glorify others to service the plot.

What is certain is that the biopic can be a hit

The biopic demands a delicate balance of drama, corresponding to the rules and tropes of filmmaking, while also paying homage authentically to the real-life figures on which the story is based. It’s a near impossible task and sacrifices are often inevitable in the filmmaking process. There’s a manner of creative licence excusable and expected from a biopic, in order to add tension and conflict and to let the story flow in the three-act format that a feature film adopts. Life is often far less exciting, or at least far less eloquent with its chaotic, earth-shattering moments and developments. Better still, life in a story has no definitive start and end, where a film covers significant moments of a figure’s life. When the biopic supposedly covers someone’s entire life, that’s a lot of ground to squeeze into one hour and a half.

Vice didn’t attract huge critical acclaim, despite several award nominations, including a notable win for Hair and Make-up at the Academy Awards. Again, the actors at the forefront of the biopic seem to be the big winners – with the makeup department being recognised for facilitating Christian Bale’s widely praised portrayal of Dick Cheney. But in an age of box office-smashing blockbusters and superhero cinematic universes, why has the biopic remained so prolific? Perhaps it’s because we will always be intrigued by people, not least by those we love. The box office didn’t seem to love Vice or Tolkien, but that doesn’t mean people didn’t. Critics didn’t love Bohemian Rhapsody, yet the viewing public did. Musical biopics, in particular, seem to be the ones that thrive. I predict that Rocketman will unify critics and audiences in their wonderment of the film, based purely on the impressive soundtrack and visuals seeping through the promotional material. With a Beatles film already in development, it seems Hollywood are catching onto the musical biopic trend, and if we’re now looking at musical giants for film inspiration, the movies may never stop.