Rocket -- Solid?

This past weekend, I went to see Rocketman, the new biopic on the life of Elton John. Some have compared it to last year's Bohemian Rhapsody -- and that's a reasonable comparison, since both were directed by Dexter Fletcher (Fletcher being the person brought in to finish Rhapsody after Bryan Singer flaked / was fired). I can't offer such comparisons myself, though; I've yet to see Bohemian Rhapsody. From what I've heard, though, I think a more apt comparison might be to Across the Universe. Specifically, the part about repurposing existing rock hits to craft a musical with its own narrative, not that part where I really didn't like Across the Universe. Still, I am very much of a divided mind about Rocketman.

Normally, I don't go for a film that flaunts style over substance. However, I usually reserve that quibble for a film that pursues style to the exclusion of substance, and that's not Rocketman. Yet it certainly is full of style that's very compelling... and substance that's considerably less so. From a narrative standpoint, you could scarcely conceive of an "artist biopic" more paint-by-numbers than this one. The early genius, the rise to fame, the fall from grace, the struggle to rise again. The arc is as familiar as they come. The reductive throughline that the hero is, deep down, just a needy child who needs to be loved. The character is from the most basic stock. It reportedly took almost two decades to get this movie made, and looking purely at its story, I can see why: it's a trope sandwich.

Yet the movie is quite slick and very entertaining throughout, thanks to its concept of being a fully produced musical comprised of Elton John hits. Most of the musical moments in the film are not recreating famous performances by the musician, they're fantastical stagings of numbers in heightened settings. From a whizbang opening that shows Elton as precocious child belting out "The Bitch Is Back," to the sober triumph of marching out of rehab to "I'm Still Standing," the movie inevitably finds the right song to establish the right emotional tone. There are even a few moments throughout the film where it transcends simple cleverness and brushes against something quite profound. (At the core, you can probably credit Bernie Taupin's lyrics for that.)

Dexter Fletcher makes some ambitious directorial choices throughout. "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" is the most elaborate number of the movie, and is presented with a massive group of backup dancers in a series of impressively long takes (cheated together to give the impression of an even longer one). Camera placement and smart sound design are used to convey how Elton John's first performance at the Troubadour was a transcendent experience for all. There are, quite simply, a lot of great set pieces made of the different songs.

It's a solid cast throughout, including Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Madden, and more. But of course, the star must carry it all or it wouldn't work. Taron Egerton is more than capable of doing so as Elton John. He acts, he sings, he dances... the classic triple threat. It's a great performance, and subtly even more effective knowing that the man he's playing is alive and heavily involved in the production to potentially critique the performance.

I can almost get swept up enough in the movie to give it sky high marks. But ultimately, in those long stretches between the songs, the movie lags. That rote, predictable, and not terribly interesting story line reasserts itself. It's a story you'd heard countless times before. The parts between, though effervescent enough to make it all entertaining, aren't quite long-lasting enough to keep you there.

I'd say Rocketman works out somewhere around a B. If you like Elton John's music, it's absolutely worth seeing. If biopics aren't your thing, you should probably skip it. If you're on this fence, it's probably one to wait for on streaming at a later date.