As confirmed in my recent review of The Greatest Showman– which I loved, I’m a fan of very few musicals. In fact, when a musical comes along that I’m curious enough about, I prepare myself mentally to have to sit through at least 3 musical numbers that I’d much rather skip or fast forward.
The good news about director Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman, a biography of singer, songwriter, pianist and composer Elton John, is that, even though I wanted to fast forward through two or three musical moments, there were at least three or more that I wish lasted for double the time.
Rocketman is, for me, a notable achievement for all involved. The entire cast, including Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard, performed very well. A great relief since I actually wasn’t sure about Egerton when I heard he’d be playing John. My doubts were very much silenced soon after the film started. Not only did Egerton perform notably musically, but some of my favourite scenes are when he’s portraying the singer at his most vulnerable. I actually had no idea that John’s story was quite so heartbreaking. I’m therefore glad to know how much happier his life appears to be now.
‘Rocketman’, ‘I’m Still Standing’ and ‘Your Song’ are my favourite of all the music performance scenes. I particularly love the scene that shows how ‘Your Song’ actually came to be; a scene as moving as the sentiment behind the song itself.
Egerton and Madden’s on screen chemistry and Bryce Dallas Howard’s performance won’t be forgotten by me anytime soon. I also won’t be forgetting the great friendship at the heart of Rocketman. Said friendship is perhaps the most beautiful part.
Watch it because it’s good.
Happy Film Loving,
G
