Rocket raccoon the musical!

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2018)

I have to admit when I first heard about this film I thought it wasn't going to be my taste, but then I saw the trailer and it gave me goosebumps. We managed to get into a preview screening and the goosebumps didn't go away. Bradley cooper ( in his directorial debut and lead) has done an amazing job here, with his character Jackson Swaine being a declining, washed out star who believes all his answers are at the bottom of the bottle, what could come across as an annoying selfish character however is flipped on its head as Cooper gives his role real heart and depth to the point where I just wanted to help him. Then you have the other lead..... Lady Gaga. Many may see her being picked for this film as extra star material, but fair play to her she can act. Not only does she nail her on stage performances but she also brings vulnerability to a character rising through stardom, and without going into spoiler terroirty all I will say is she nailed the final scene. Why not a perfect score then you may wonder? Well personally I felt the middle act dragged just a little, with it being more of a slow burner and not adding much drama. I also felt that certain scenes seemed to be edited in an odd way, almost as if they were cut short then skipped over, but again that might just be me. Before I finish this review though I have to at least mention the songs, while I still feel 'shallow' (the song from the trailer) being the most memorable, the rest of the track list really is something, I can see the album being a chart topper for sure.