Soaring High as a Kite - Rocketman Review

While it will inevitably draw comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody, and I’ll get to those later, Rocketman rises above other biopics by embracing the fun, flamboyance, and fervor of its titular main character, Elton John.

There are some fantastic aspects to Rocketman that really blew me away and took me by surprise. One of those is that the movie is more a musical than anything else. Beautiful setpieces are exchanged throughout the film for some of John’s songs to be danced to with great ensemble and solo choreography and deft direction around all of the action. These range from some of his more popular songs to some more obscure ones as well, but they’re all terrific of course.

Taron Egerton really shines as Elton John. A lot of his acting comes when there isn’t anything to say, but his facial expressions and body language do all of the talking. He’s helped quite a bit by a great ensemble cast as well that includes the like of Richard Madden, Jamie Bell, and a couple of young child-actors who do a very respectable job.

I’m going to sprinkle in some of those Bohemian Rhapsody comparisons as I talk more here, both because I want to point out what that movie did wrong, and what Rocketman gets so right. The pace of this movie is fantastic, as we follow Elton from his childhood going by his real name of Reginald Dwight, to his teenage years, and then skipping over quite a bit of the rise to focus further on John’s mindset as he must sustain the great heights to which he’s risen to. We get to see a much more interesting and compelling story this way, as much of my problem with Rhapsody was that it took so much time on how songs were created, or Freddie sitting quietly alone, or anything else that was just plain boring. Rocketman flew by and dragged for maybe two minutes of its two hour runtime.

A lot of that quick pace is due to the overall fun that the film has showing the audience Elton’s life. The musical numbers move that along nicely, and the fantastic production and costume design that should naturally follow Elton John’s life bring a vibrancy and sense of entertainment that felt fitting. There's also a lot of fantastical visual effects throughout the movie that convey how Elton John sees his world. From slow motion adrenaline to drug fueled hallucinations, these effects are a welcome addition to the presentation of the film.

The reverence that is given to Elton John here is what really separates Rocketman from Bohemian Rhapsody for me. Elton is the main character, but like many musicians, far from a complete hero. Through all of the highs and lows, though, we’re fixed perfectly to his point of view. Every decision he makes feels understandable, even if it is a poor one. And the way that John’s homosexuality is communicated, explored, and given its due diligence is so important. The film doesn’t shy away from the good, the bad, and the ugly of all parts of his life. Bohemian Rhapsody did none of this, as it was so focused on putting Mercury in a good light that it forgot all values of storytelling and character development, and it felt like the movie happened to Freddie rather than giving him any sense of agency. Elton makes decisions that change his story and that makes it all the more impactful when the consequences come for him.

It’s not a perfect movie. There are some things we could’ve given some extra time to explore further, not every musical number feels like it fits the situation, and the story structure is a bit jarring at times, but the whole package here is fantastic. Rocketman shows how a biopic’s subject should inform and guide the film as a whole, creating an experience unlike any other because there’s only one Elton John.

8.5/10