Rocketman

“Don't you want to just sing without this ridiculous paraphernalia?”

Filmology Rating: 3.25 out of 4

Rocketman is the Elton John musical biopic. It is directed by Dexter Fletcher who was denied the job of directing Bohemian Rhapsody because his ideas were too good. In this film, Elton John, played by Taron Egerton, tells the story of his life while in rehab.

I cannot express how much better this was than Bohemian Rhapsody. Taron Egerton deserves an Oscar for best actor. This is a contender to win Best Picture and I'm sure it is going to win.

Taron Egerton is absolutely brilliant in this film. He has always been a favorite of mine because I loved 'Kingsman 1+2', but he really flexes his acting muscles in this film. The way he portrays Elton is in a brilliantly subtle way. You think of Elton and you think big and flashy, but he also shows the introverted side of Elton John as well. He is an introverted extrovert. Taron Egerton also sings all of the music in this film. He does it in a way where he makes it his own and does not try to slavishly mimic Elton John. He sings, he dances. The performance was brilliant; a kind of performance we rarely see anymore.

Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody where the entire film is resting on a performance, Rocketman is not just a performance movie. Dexter Fletcher directs this film with such confidence and swagger. He takes Elton John, a musical God, and brings him down to Earth and peels away the gloss that surrounds him. Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody. The film starts at childhood and tells the story of a troubled boy who only gets worse as he grows up. And there are also barriers that prevent him from becoming famous. Unlike Bohemian Rhapsody who tours the world with no obstacles whatsoever in the film.

This is a musical. Characters go from conventional scenes of drama into song and dance, but done in a way that felt energetic, natural, but most of all: purposeful. Songs are not sung in random places. People don't dance for no reason; the songs have a point. And the direction of these sequences really encapsulates energy and focus.

This also falls into some conventional tropes of a musically famous person like drama between the manager character and the musician; money doesn't buy happiness. However, this film had so much more to it than just that. It has incredible song and dance sequences and one amazing performance from Taron Egerton as well as many others. The whole film is just about a boy wanting a hug. And that's what separates this film from other films like it; this is spectacle, but is more about the intimacy and humanity.

Rating: See It

-Nolan