Rocketman

Rocketman is an Elton John bio pic and musical. It follows him from about age 7 until his mid-thirties, covering some of the most tumultuous times in his life.

I thought that the plot was interesting. There were a lot of pieces in Elton John’s life that I didn’t know much about. The movie did a good job giving you insight into his family dynamic, his long standing and destructive addictions and his friendships and relationships.

In regard to the acting. I was impressed across the board. The last movie I saw with Taron Egerton was Robin Hood, which was terrible, so I came in with low expectations for his role as Elton John. I am happy to say that I was actually very impressed with his portrayal. Not only did he sing well, but he was also able to humanize Elton in a way that you don’t see in this iconic singer’s depiction though the media lens or even in his performances. You saw a vulnerable man trying to come to terms with the relationship that he had with his family, someone trying to gain confidence and come into his own while also trying to manage the frenzy that was forming around him during the height of his career.

Additionally, I didn’t know much about Elton's relationship with his longtime songwriter Bernie Taupin, played by Jamie Bell, so that was also an interesting plot line. Bryce Dallas Howard was a great choice for his mother, Sheila. She wasn’t the kindest woman and some of the things that she would say to Elton were terrible, but I think that she was trying to do the best she could with the tools that she had. I also enjoyed seeing Richard Madden as Elton’s love interest, John Reid. It was nice to see this Game of Thrones alum showcase some variety in his craft.

I’m not a huge Elton John fan but I was surprised by how many songs I recognized. I also liked the montage at the end where you see old photos of Elton compared to photos of Taron. They did a great job in the costume department replicating some of Elton’s most iconic outfits.

Where the movie lost me a bit was in some of its editing and that it was heavy on the musical side, almost corny at times. I got Austin Powers vibes with some of the earlier musical sequences in the film. I would have liked it to be more like Bohemian Rhapsody, which was more of a movie with the music parts seamlessly intertwined.

Overall I thought that the movie was good. Not one worth seeing in theatres, but something worth catching once it makes its way to video.