Enjoyability of this film is directly tied to your fan level for Elton John

Rating: 2/10 (22 September 2019)

While clear from the first few minutes of this film that the creative forces behind it wanted to make sure they weren't making a " standard biopic", a little of that could have really enhanced this movie. By wanting to stay away from becoming a standard biopic, some of the smaller, yet important characters ( such as Elton John's parents) in this movie were never developed beyond being little more than cardboard cutouts. Perhaps developing these characters more would have shined more light onto where EJ's quirks and behaviors came from and would have given this movie more depth. This would also make the viewer care more about the main character. The way Elton John is portrayed here makes it difficult for the viewer to care about what he went through.
However, Taron Egerton's performance should be nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. His performance was really the glue that held this movie together, since it jumps around in time a lot. This movie seems to pay no attention to the chronological timeline in which EJ's songs were written or released.
The cinematography, sets, costumes, etc were fantastic and well done throughout the entire film.
Many of Elton John's hardcore, lifelong fans will love this movie, but many of his hardcore, lifelong fans will also not. Those who are not huge Elton John fans would most likely find this movie tortuous to sit through.
Since this film is more a mashup of fantasy musical numbers than a biopic, I guess it isn't fair to compare it to others, although it was marketed as such. However, I realize that although I saw this movie only a week ago on DVD, i still remember more details and care more about the main characters in the biopics La Bamba (1987) or Sweet Dreams (1983) that I watched over 30 years ago than I do about Rocketman! It might be more fair to compare it to last year's Bohemian Rhapsody: when you do, there is still no comparison.
In an effort to be " not your standard biopic" , the filmmakers have delivered a movie that is a collection of fantasy musical numbers and scenes that makes watching it more like work than an entertaining, enlightening, or interesting experience.
In summary, Rocketman fails to launch.