Rocketman Burns Out Its Fuse

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2019)

Rocketman is amazing. This film does an incredible job of showcasing the life of Sir Elton John in an interesting way. Throughout the movie, you feel genuinely sympathetic about Elton's struggles with drugs, alcohol and the people in his life not caring. Taron Egerton is incredible as Elton. He delivers a very layered performance, showing off a variety of different emotions, while also having a beautiful singing voice. Jaime Bell is also great as Bernie Taupin, Elton's close friend and songwriter, as well as the most likabile person in the movie, along with Elton. Bryce Dallas Howard delivers an incredible performance as Elton's mother; Sheila Eileen. Howard does a great job of making you absolutely despise the woman she's playing. While it's difficult for an actor to make you love a character, it's also just as difficult for an actor to make you absolutely loath a character as well. Another actor who does a great job of making you loath his character is Richard Maddern, who plays Elton's manager; John Reid, who I wanted to punch in the face once the movie was over. The movie functions sort of like a musical, by using the songs to help tell the film's story. At several points in the film, Elton and the people in his life will start singing one of his songs to convey the emotions they're currently feeling, like in a musical. I found this to be a very clever way to incorporate Elton's songs into the movie, as it's far more interesting than just having Elton peform the songs at a concert, which would be the obvious way to do it. The film's cinematography is also stunning. It perfectly captures the grand, heart pumping atmosphere of Elton's best performances.
If there are any flaws I have with this movie, it would be that some parts of Elton's life are skimmed over pretty quickly. Primarily Elton's relationship with his wife; Renate Blauel, which comes and goes in about five minutes. I understand that it probably wasn't as important as other parts of Elton's life, but I could have used a bit more development. However, a few minor pacing issues are really my only problem with this movie.
Overall, This film has phenomenal acting, wonderful cinematography and a very clever use of beautiful music. My only real problem are a couple of issues with the movie's pacing. I definitely believe that this film will nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor For Egerton at the 92nd Academy Awards. Rocketman deserves a very high 9/10, though I'm debating whether or not to change it to a 10/10. It really is that good. I highly recommend checking this film out. It's a wonderful biopic about one of Britain's national treasures.