A Gritty And Realistic Portrayal Of Elton's Early Life But A Bit Too Heavy On The Fantasy Bits

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2019)

Given that Elton John was himself involved in the production of this film as one of the Executive Producers, I have to say that it's a courageous and at times painfully honest portrayal of Elton's early life. It pulls no punches, depicting the troubled home life he had as a young boy (and especially his troubled relationship with his father) along with his descent into booze, drugs and sex as his career took off, along with the abuse he endured in some of his early relationships. There's certainly nothing sugar coated. On the other hand, the movie portrays Elton as a prodigy, apparently destined for musical greatness from early in life. It seems a reasonable depiction of Elton's early life, set as a sort of rock opera at times, as everything is placed among various songs Elton is famous for. I thought the choreography was good, and Taron Egerton did a fantastic job of portraying Elton - surely no easy task when the man you're portraying is also the Executive Producer of the movie you're playing him in. So kudos to Egerton and to most of the rest of the cast who did a fine job and portrayed their characters believably.
I thought, however, that the movie did go a little overboard in paying homage to Elton's music. At times this becomes little more than a musical with some dance routines thrown in for good measure. At times it's a bit of of fantasy, and perhaps because of that and because the movie tried so desperately to fit the story of Elton's life with Elton's music (it's a little bit like "Mamma Mia" in that respect except that the story is true) it at times seemed a bit disjointed. The most obvious recent comparison one might make for "Rocketman" would be "Bohemian Rhapsody," which told the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, and also pulled few punches in offering us a glimpse into Mercury's life. On balance, I'd have to say that I preferred "Bohemian Rhapsody," which is a little surprising to me since I actually prefer Elton John's music to Queen's. But that movie flowed better and was markedly better paced than "Rocketman."
But saying that I preferred "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not the same as saying that I disliked "Rocketman." It's a very good movie - often enjoyable (if you're a fan of Elton John's music) and often quite heavy as the more troublesome aspects of Elton's life are portrayed. And it really is worth watching for Taron Egerton, who actually performed most of Elton's songs and did very well with them. And the movie does end on a high note, highlighting (through captions and pictures) Elton's life since he overcame his various demons and addictions. (7/10)