Review: "Rocketman" is One of the Best Music Biopics in Years

Scene from Rocketman

If there was a better metaphor for a director Dexter Fletcher's career, it would be the opening scene of the Elton John biopic Rocketman. While his previous film Bohemian Rhapsody won four Oscars, it also received massive criticism for its depiction of Freddie Mercury. With many considering it one of the worst Best Picture nominees this decade and placed original director Bryan Singer in a heat of notoriety. Fletcher needed Rocketman more as a chance to prove himself as a filmmaker capable of doing a biopic right. It's why as John (Taron Egerton) sat down in the rehab chair, looking for a second chance at happiness, it feels like Fletcher sitting there in apology. Luckily it doesn't take long not only for him to repent, but prove himself to be a far more capable director than what was let on. Rocketman isn't just a vast improvement over Bohemian Rhapsody, it's one of the best biopics of the decade.

The world of Elton John is fantasy. Anyone who so much as looks at a photo of him from the 20th century will see a man unashamed at standing out. He wore the flashiest colors, sang the wildest songs, and became a superstar in the process. He was a man with a personality and ostensibly made pop music better for being there. With his piano, he created dozens upon dozens of memorable songs that were unlike anything anyone else was writing. His music videos were even more flamboyant and lead to the myth of his wild lifestyle. Which raises the question: why not embrace the man? Why deny the audience a chance to revel in the flamboyance? Where most biopics get by on simply performing songs in a studio and in concert, Rocketman has a better idea, and one that frankly should inform every music biopic from now on: why not just make the whole thing into a lavish performance?

It starts well enough with John, still in rehab, looking into his past and seeing a child singing "The Bitch is Back." The image by itself is striking and funny. However, it's only the start of the film's magic. As young John leaves the room, a door is pushed open and into the past where the rehab group watches adult John's vision of his past. It's not only that he's singing as he runs down the street. The townspeople are dancing along, and their outfits are fabulous. The whole cinematography of the film benefits from a man is fashion-first conscious. Where this could be a novelty, a transition into something key, it's only the start of something genuine. This isn't just John's life. It's a movie musical in its wildest form, showing Fletcher turning "Saturday's All Right (For Fighting)" into a montage that connects John's days playing in a bar to his teenage years where he met key collaborator Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell). It's all so seamless that it captures what the movie musical could look like had it evolved in the '70s and '80s like all other genres.

There are four or five key music numbers throughout, and they're all powerful enough to add weight to John's story. He isn't merely there. He's in the texture of the film, capturing an emotion. Even then, the story is surprisingly unafraid to explore the downside of John's career as well as his highs. As one of the most famous gay men on Earth, it's staggering to hear his parents outright dismiss his lifestyle, causing him to feel doubt in himself. It's a conflict that defines the second half of the movie, where bad choices were made in favor of failing gay relationships and drug addiction that only got worse. It's perfectly displayed as he performs a cover of The Who's "Pinball Wizard," as he himself spins out of control on stage. The crowd is adoring, but his key relationships aren't. He's suicidal, in need of desperate control. The story gets dark, though in spite of its R-Rating it never gets bleak to a disturbing degree. Every moment of despair is met with a fantasy where the lyrics begin to connect to a moment.

It could be that Egerton has been passionately attached to John for years now. He covered his music in Sing and Kingsman: The Golden Circle featured a cameo from the artist. It almost felt personal if he got the performance wrong. Luckily he not only embodies the icon but does so with a mix of flamboyance and vulnerability. When he walks out on stage, there's a moment beforehand where he feels nervous. The way that Egerton blends it with the smile that he plasters on his face as he walks out shows how John struggled to keep his personal life from the one that the public saw. It's a story of duality, where John is dealing with fame but also himself. He changed his name to sell more tickets, but is there really a difference between Reginald Dwight and Elton John? They're both pretty talented, but only one looks better on a marquee. It helps that Egerton not only carries the performance physically, but he manages to sing convincingly alongside other actors as John's solo music becomes the source for duets. 

The film thankfully embraces the fantasy without ever giving fully into it. At times John uses the spectacle as a distraction, others to heighten the joy that music gives him. Those who love his music going in will find plenty to appreciate how it was used throughout. There's enough of reverence here that no song is sung without corresponding to something within the scene. Whether it's a full-on number or a short passage sung as John walks through a restaurant, the music pops with musical motif magic in all of the best ways. It gives way to his reality, especially as drug addiction becomes more central to his arc. There's sadness in the story and it isn't afraid to explore it. However, this is a film that lives in the spirit of John, so it does so with so much artful grace that it puts other biopics to shame. It isn't just about Elton John. It IS Elton John.

Rocketman is the type of miraculous biopic that may not break conventions enough but does plenty to get by. With Egerton delivering a charismatic performance, there's so much heart and humor that breathes life into every frame. Fletcher has proven himself capable not only of making a competent film but maybe even a great one. He understands that music isn't just heard, it's also felt. By making the music numbers big, by connecting lyrics to key moments, he's able to give off the sense of why John was a musician and where his inspiration came from. It may be far from a bold detour from this genre, but it's one of the most entertaining and revolutionary examples from a mainstream studio that has been seen in a while. It's the film that John deserved, especially as a going away present. He may not be always presented in the best light, but it was one honest and complicated enough to warrant telling.