I, and I assume many listeners, tend to flock to music out of desire for escapism, much in the same way as we do film. We seek it as an outlet to unleash our pent up feelings, to find a similar perspective and validation from our favorite artists, or maybe to indulge in the fantasy of a life greater than our own. John is one of those artists who can deliver all of that, given what a larger than life figure he is on stage and off, and how deeply felt his lyrics are as storytelling.
And that's where a lot of the strength of Rocketman comes from. Rather than opt for a straight biopic showing John's struggles while crafting his music, his songs are more directly interwoven as a jukebox musical (and I always love a good musical). Bouncing back and forth between the harder trials of John's rise to stardom, and coping with his crippling addictions, his songs provide narrative accompaniment to the situations, existing in a heightened fantasy reality. It's clear the musical numbers are where most of the effort has gone into, and they are genuinely rousing every time they take the stage. While tinged in a slight melancholy because of the true life context, they provide a breath of life as some of the highlights of the film.
The effort put in by director Dexter Fletcher (who previously ghost-directed parts of Bohemian Rhapsody) is top notch, as everything from the fast-paced choreography, to the seamless flow of long take photography, make such great big screen spectacle. From an early pep-up with "Saturday Night's Alright" at a carnival, to John's star-making - and gravity defying - performance of "Crocodile Rock" at the Troubadour, these are some of the most precise and downright infectious sequences of the film. That's not to say all of them are of a rousing state, as more sorrowful renditions of John's songs also aid the narrative. Some of these include "I Want Love", as John's broken family life, and his strained relationship with his parents, sow the seeds for bitter late character development. One of the more gut-punching ones has to be the alternating renditions of "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road," as John and Taupin's friendship hits critical mass, inciting the final straw for Elton at a crucial stage in his life.
And speaking of John, we have him played by Taron Egerton, who is an outstanding fit for the role. He's long been a charismatic young star, and this sees the finest use of his acting abilities yet. As a physical performance alone, it's incredible stuff, as he feels from beginning to end the spitting image of John in all his glory, perfectly embodying his bedazzling showmanship as a stage performer, especially with the musical sequences that are fueled by his gusto and energy. But while we're on that topic, it is hard not to compare him to another recent rock legend performance, that being Rami Malek's Freddie Mercury from Bohemian Rhapsody, who himself did well to emulate Mercury's magnetic stage presence.
That said, I actually prefer Egerton, as while I felt Malek's was physically impressive but emotionally vacant, Egerton is afforded a much stronger character outside of the musical world. He's working with a complex, unhinged, and at times candidly vile rendition of John, in his long journey for consistency and self-worth through his troubling life. Mainly off the backs of the strained relationship with his parents (including a scathing Bryce Dallas Howard), and the burgeoning discovery of his homosexuality, as well as the toxic relationship with his manager John Reid (Richard Madden). As his habits take a dark and self-destructive turn, it alienates him away from even the positive influences of his life, including the undying bond forged with Taupin (A superb Jamie Bell), to the point that even the musical numbers get tinged in a bitter subtext. It's a lot of heavy lifting that Egerton has to contend with, but he handles it all with this incredible poise, making even the most tired of biopic tropes sincere and earned.
But on the topic of those, the standard biopic route is where this film falters a bit, because you can tell that the filmmakers don't always have their heart in it. Taking place from John's early childhood to his 90's rehabilitation, there's a lot of ground for Rocketman to cover, and so there's such an inconsistency to the film's general pace and quality control, because so often they fall into the same generic trappings that a lot of music based biopics make use of. While I won't say there isn't any passion put into them, it does feel on some level like they're merely vessels to shepherd us to the musical numbers.
As a result, the film can feel rushed in that regard, with one instance involving John's marriage to Renate Blauel. Within three minutes set to 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," this character is just introduced, the two married, cut to them waking up in the morning walking out of separate bedrooms for a gloomy breakfast, and in the next scene while Elton is having dinner with his mother, she laments "divorce is a terrible thing." We've completely skipped over that, and it speaks to a wider issue. There's a number of potentially engaging details peppered through the movie, that by the end feel more like barely acknowledged footnotes, barely even touching on details like his growing activism for HIV/AIDS outside of an ending title card, and so it doesn't do as much justice to John as it could have.
But all that aside, I still really enjoyed my time with Rocketman. Stuck in the familiarity that comes with the territory, but when the movie comes to life, it really comes alive, and takes off like a shot. If feeling like it exists to cater around the music, those sequences alone are so fantastic, they justify the price of the ticket, especially for how terrifically Egerton holds them together as their anchor.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've had a busy day today...
***1/2 / *****
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