What Bohemian Rhapsody should have been
Following the mess that Bohemian Rhapsody was, my expectations for Rocketman were not exactly high. That being said, the movie was a pleasant surprise that exceeded my hopes in every way.
Directed by Dexter Fletcher, the man who tried to reclaim Bohemian Rhapsody from how Bryan Singer left it, Rocketman is a musical that tells the tale of Elton John’s rise to stardom with a heavy fantasy theme throughout.
The first thing that needs to be said is that Taron Egerton as Elton John is fantastic. He brings both the emotion and the flare that truly made you believe that this was Elton John. There’s no other way to describe his performance than wonderful and Oscar nomination-worthy.
The rest of movie wasn’t lacking either. The different musical numbers were grand and super fun to watch. The story is gripping and brings emotions of all kinds. He didn’t pull punches on how dark John’s life really was at times but he never went too far as to take away from the overall tone. Fletcher promised a fantasy and that’s exactly what he gave us.
The only real criticism I had was the first act of the film that felt a bit slow. It starts off going through John’s childhood and while it was nice to set the scene of how he grew up, it could have easily just started a bit later in his life. The movie just didn’t really find it’s stride until Egerton bursts onto the screen.
Overall, Rocketman is a fantastic musical that brings smiles, laughs, and tears. It doesn’t hold back, it doesn’t hide his sexuality, and it certainly doesn’t bore you. If you have any sort of love or appreciation for the music of Elton John, this one is a must-see.
The Movie Hall 