2018 gave cinephiles one of the most divisive musical biopics in quite some time. Bohemian Rhapsody, while an enormous success at the box office, was panned by many critics for its portrayal of the band and its frontman Freddie Mercury. The hate for the film increased even more during awards season as Rami Malek, and the film did very well, taking home many awards including Best Picture: Drama at The Golden Globes and Best Actor at the Globes and the Oscars.
As we entered 2019, the next musical biopic was on its way about another legend, Elton John. The irony is I was less enthused for Rocketman than I was for Rhapsody, a film that despite its divisiveness I enjoy very much. The marketing for Rocketman labeled it a fantasy musical, and as someone who does not care for Across The Universe, I was a bit apprehensive about the structure of the film. Despite the apprehension, Rocketman is not only a great film but one that immediately jumps into the awards season chatter despite its May release.
Rocketman eliminates the traditional mold of a musical biopic and what my biggest concern was going into the film became my most significant talking point and something I found to be the film’s brilliance. Few subgenres in the movie are as predictable as the musical, and we are accustomed to the same beats often being repeated. Rather than leaning on the “same old tropes” director Dexter Fletcher leans heavily on Elton John’s over the top personality and flamboyance to construct a musical biopic that may be replicated but may not be duplicated for quite some time.
While we are given a look at John’s childhood and rise to fame, Fletcher uses creativity to present his music in a way that works best for the narrative and isn’t necessarily in release order. All of the music plays a prominent role in Rocketman.
While the majority of the musical numbers throughout the film are sensational, the titular musical number “Rocketman”, “Crocodile Rock”, and “I’m Still Standing” were the ones that stood out as the best and stayed with me long after the film’s conclusion.
Looking at Rocketman’s supporting cast, it’s hard to ignore Kit Connor as young Elton John who kills it in his musical numbers in the small screen time he has. Along with him, John’s right-hand man, Bernie Taupin played by Jamie Bell, was another performance to applaud. Bell and Egerton’s chemistry is hard to ignore, and they enact the friendship Taupin and John share today and bring it to life in a big way on the big screen.
Can we talk about the man of the hour?
Back in 2016, Taron Egerton played a gorilla in the animated film, Sing. In that film, he sang a rendition of “I’m Still Standing”. It was at that very moment, I said to myself, “If there ever was an Elton John film made, it’s Egerton or bust.” I’m glad to report that Egerton is incredible. He’s legitimately phenomenal in this role. Not only does Egerton sing all the songs in the film, but he captures John’s vulnerability during his meteoric rise to fame. Egerton does not make the audience forget that behind Elton John’s make-up and over the top costumes, there still lives Reggie Dwight.
While it’s hard not to compare Rami Malek and Egerton because I loved both performances, Egerton edges out Malek for me in terms of a better performance. A Golden Globe nomination is likely on the way, with a hopeful Oscar nomination as well.
While Rocketman follows specific musical bio-pic structures, its choice to turn the subgenre upside down with its style shows homage to not only the man but his eternal impact on music.
