Worth The Price Of Admission For Taron Egerton's Lifelike Performance Alone

Rating: Null/10 (11 August 2019)

Playing more like a fantasy-musical than a straightforward biopic, Rocketman brings the colourful life & persona of Elton John to silver screen in a vivid, vibrant fashion, and is championed by a star-making performance from Taron Egerton. But despite that, I don't really feel much love for it, and found it to be a rather okay biopic.
The film chronicles the highs & lows of the famous musician's life, starting with his arrival at a rehabilitation session and then recounting his life in flashbacks. The plot covers his troubled childhood, his breakthrough years & meteoric rise in the music industry, followed by his struggle with addiction, thus bringing the journey full circle.
Directed by Dexter Fletcher, his musical storytelling is going to be a hit or miss with many and unfortunately for me, it's the latter. Fletcher's decision to tell Elton John's life story with a bit of theatricality & fantasia goes well with the notable artist's own flamboyant stage shows but the narrative flow isn't smooth and it fails to strike the right emotional chord.
The switch from drama to musical numbers is often jarring, and more could've been done to streamline this aspect. Pacing is also slightly on the slower side, especially in the second half. Nevertheless, the rich camerawork, melodic songs & impeccable costume design do provide it the required facelift, plus fans of the artist will enjoy & appreciate this wild ride.
The real show-stealer, however, is Taron Egerton who treads the fine line between impersonation & reinvention to embody Elton John from inside out. And unlike last year's Best Actor Oscar winner, he is actually singing the artist's songs. This is no doubt Egerton's career-best performance, and he is brilliantly supported by Jamie Bell & Bryce Dallas Howard.
On an overall scale, Rocketman captures the highs & lows of Elton John's life with finesse, features a standout performance from Taron Egerton that overshadows all other aspects, and will manage to please most viewers, if not all. I never dived into his discography so I'm not part of the chorus yet, but the film as a whole still didn't do enough to garner my interest & keep me captivated.