Review: Rocketman

Rocketman, directed by Dexter Fletcher, tells the tale of a lad named Reginald Dwight (Taron Egerton) who rises to stardom with the help of his friend and lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) and becomes the world renowned super star Elton John.

Based on Elton John’s life story, this film is directed by Fletcher who incidentally was also the director who stepped in to finish 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody after Bryan Singer was booted off the project during production. Now Bohemian Rhapsody was a film I genuinely disliked because of how sloppy and incredibly uneven it was (the fact that it went on to win the most Oscars this year was pretty laughable). I know it’s unfair to compare that film with this one, but honestly it’s really hard not to considering they’re pretty dang similar to each other. One key difference between Bo Rap and this film is that this film was actually good. Rocketman was a solidly made bio pic that really explores the character that is Elton John.

The one major highlight of the film is the performances. Taron Egerton gives a pretty great performance as Elton John. Not only does he act phenomenally, he also has a pretty great singing voice as well. Everyone else in the cast was also pretty good; there wasn’t really a single bad performance to be seen in this film. The musical sequences were fun and energetic, the music itself is classic Elton John, the cinematography and editing was solid, and the film really does make the most of its R-rating. Elton John did not really live a family friendly life, and the film was able to capture that incredibly well, holding nothing back.

The only real issue I had with the film is honestly the style of the film. On the surface, it does just about what every other musical biopic does; there were a lot of corny moments that made the film a little too cheesy, certain moments in the film get too over-dramatized, and it’s not the most creative musical I’ve seen in a long time. Regardless of this, I would still consider it a solid biopic to check out.

Overall this was a good film. It was well acted, well made, the music is reliably great, it’s just a solid fun film to watch. If you’re an Elton John fan and this sounds like your kind of movie then by all means check it out. I’m glad I got to see this and I’m okay with checking this film out again.

Final Verdict: 7/10