Released: 22nd May 2019 (UK)
Length: 121 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Madden, Stephen Graham, Gemma Jones, Jason Pennycooke, Charlie Rowe and Steven Mackintosh
For over fifty years, the legendary Elton John has been entertaining audiences the world over but the artist’s life behind the scene has been subject to some controversy and discussion since his rise in the sixties. Rocketman, the latest biopic to chronicle the life of a musician, is an excellent effort all-around.
Rocketman opens with Elton John, formerly known as Reginald Dwight, relaying his story in drug rehabilitation. With the entire film taking place as a flashback, we follow the singer from boyhood to the height of his career and all the highs and lows that came with it. The film moves organically between the creation of new tracks and his personal life and at some points, the many singles on resume are layered into the plot to reflect the tone of the scene. With Elton John himself serving as executive producer and his husband David Furnish also on the producing team, Rocketman is as close a representation you’ll find for the musician’s life and it isn’t filtered or sanitised in any way. There were certainly some turbulent times in John’s life with drugs and disputes with friends and family and as the film seamlessly moves back and forth between rousing live performances and heating arguments behind the scenes, you get a real sense of what the man himself was like in and out of public. His struggles with being homosexual are also put on display and these are some of the most emotional moments of the flick.
Taron Egerton is phenomenal as Elton John; not only does he capture the mannerisms of the wildly popular musician but he’s also an unbelievable singer throughout; when Taron’s voice collides with the technical aspects, you’ll often be left spellbound by his performance. Of course, all the other actors are just as strong, and they match Egerton’s vocals with excellent commitment across the board. Jamie Bell plays Elton’s best friend and songwriter Bernie Taupin with a great sense of humanity and he’s contrasted with Richard Madden’s ruthless and often spiteful manager John Reid. Even his parents Stanley and Sheila (played by Steven Mackintosh and Bryce Dallas Howard respectively) get involved in some music numbers. Clearly the people in Elton’s life had just as much of an effect as the life of fame and the many interactions throughout the film are all beautifully acted, often gut-wrenchingly so. A special mention should also be given to various dancers and backing performers who make the more extravagant songs that much more entertaining.
With its grounding as a musical biopic, Rocketman can feel like a dazzling theatre performance. The camerawork gets super creative at many points, swapping between the musician’s various costumes and tracks so seamlessly that you’re never pulled out of the experience. If Elton’s career is the equivalent of a rollercoaster then Rocketman’s pacing brilliantly captures the two halves. The same is true of other aesthetics; the costume design is fantastic, always getting across both the time period and Elton’s own extravagance as a performer. The sets all reflect the various escapades he got up to outside of his music and these are matched by a superb round of lighting effects that are always stunning no matter which scene is playing. If anything, the only moments that dampen the illusion are the occasional uses of CGI which end up sticking out amongst all the other dazzling elements.
I’m not normally a fan of musical biopics, but Rocketman was a splendid time from beginning to end; it’s a rare case where you don’t need to have followed the artist to appreciate the film’s quality. Elton John’s life has been a wild ride and this retelling tells his story brilliantly while delivering a superb set of energised performances.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)