Reach for the Stars in this Musical Fantasy!

Rating: 7/10 (23 May 2019)

Rocketman is a fun biopic Musical/Fantasy movie that follows Elton John throughout his early years learning the ropes and gaining fame to become one of the biggest pop stars of all-time. It's not quite your average "Biopic" movie though. Rocketman features many of Elton's songs that are played relevant to the movie scenes and filled with stylish visuals and sounds that brings the legend to life. It feels like you are watching a theatre show live in places and gives the film an extra oomph to the whole picture. Played brilliantly by Taron Egerton, the movie delivers an emotional ride through the ups and downs of Elton's life and how you see him connect and develop with other people, as well as his own personal problems.
Unlike last year's Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman thankfully does not sanitize Elton's issues and you see him get into drugs, alcohol, and homosexuality factors that give the character a real sense of depth and dimension to him. The movie is nicely shot and acted, as well as having very high production values in pretty much every category. All the singing feels natural and nothing feels too out of place. There is clearly alot of effort put into this film and if your a fan of Elton John's music, then you'll definitely get a bigger kick out of this than someone who wouldn't. However, I think on the story side of things this movie still works and doesn't need nostalgia or fan-service to coast on its success. Rocketman is worth the stars of admission!
7/10