Great Biopic

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2019)

I can't stand this recent biopic trend and absolutely despised Bryan Singer's "Bohemian Rhapsody", but Dexter Fletcher's "Rocketman" surprised and emotionally moved me in ways I was not expecting. I'm not too familiar with Elton John's music, but did not find that to be a handicap while watching the film which is a huge positive and increases its accessibility. The film goes through the high and low's of Elton John's life and career documenting his troubled family life and struggles with drugs and alcohol very tastefully. Taron Egerton (Kingsman series) gave an absolutely fantastic performance without doing an imitation of Elton, but rather captured his essence which is the best way to do it. I also thought Bryce Dallas Howard's (Jurassic World) performance stood out as she played Elton's trashy and ignorant mother very well which was one of my favorite parts about the film. The script was very well paced with the exception of some underwritten characters that could've used some more screen time. Dexter Fletcher brought life to an exploited genre which is extremely commendable and did a fantastic job telling Elton John's story in the most empowering and tasteful way he could. Rocketman is not only one of the best films I've seen all year, it's probably one of the best biopics ever made and will be remembered as an essential complain piece to Elton's discography. I highly recommend.