I want to see it 5 more times

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2019)

I've just gotten home from seeing Rocketman for the second time, and I felt like I Had to write a review. It's my first one so bear with me.
...Wow. I haven't had this good of a time in a while. It's also been nearly 10 years since I felt a desire to go see a film twice (or thrice, or four times...)
This movie is MAGIC. It feels like you're watching a stage musical. It feels like it's actually happening right there, and you're in it. You can almost touch the glitter. You can feel your seat shaking to the music.
Now, as everybody and their mums are saying, this is no standard biopic. Rocketman is very theatrical, it's very grand and very dramatic. It's very much a story with a big s. It would work just as well if Elton John was a fictional character. It isn't realistic. I'm well aware that this was the filmmakers' exact intention. And my gosh, does it work!
I'm no expert on Sir Elton or his life, but I do know that this film is exactly how he wanted his story to be told. It is a fantasy. There's dance numbers and overdosing montages. There's a kid playing piano on the bottom of a swimming pool. It might not be what everyone likes, but here's the thing. All the song numbers and fantasy elements are perfect for conveying the emotions, the exhilaration, the lust, the hatred, the heartbreak of Elton's journey from a music-loving kid to a worldwide sensation. I've sure as hell never played the piano in front of a crowd, much less in a hip club in LA, but when Elton made the crowd (and himself) float during Crocodile Rock, I could imagine how he felt. I was floating with him.
Of course, I couldn't possibly praise this movie without mentioning Taron Egerton. He is unrecognizable. I actually forgot this is the same guy from Kingsman. From the first shot he had me in his grasp. He made me feel every emotion with him, and no matter what his Elton said or did I was always on his side. And dear lord, his voice! I have to say I actually prefer a lot of Taron's renditions to the original EJ songs. He made them his own while still being faithful, and sounds extraordinary doing so. Very charismatic. I hope I'll hear him sing more.
There wasn't a single bad performance in this film, but my favorites besides the lead were Kit Connor as pre-teen Elton, who was absolutely charming and I hope to see him in future projects, as well as Charlie Rowe as Ray, who brought in such wide-eyed enthusiasm and positive energy I was sad when his character wasn't seen again.
There's so much more I could talk about (and that's a testament to just how much I loved this film), but I don't want to make this a 10 page essay. So I'll finish by saying if for some reason you're reading this but haven't yet seen Rocketman, I Urge you to do so. You will like it even if you don't care about EJ. I promise. I still want to go see it for a third time, but I think I'll wait for the blu-ray. The release date can't come soon enough. Me (and my neighbors) are gonna enjoy the soundtrack on repeat while I wait.