'Rocketman': A Fantasy Movie Review

'Rocketman' stars Taron Egerton as Elton John. This film follows the story of Elton John from childhood becoming a child prodigy to adulthood where he becomes the legend he is today. We experience all the hardships that John had to endure through his childhood between his parents. Then as an adult we experience John as he struggles with his identity, drugs and alcohol.

Musical biopics is a genre of movies that are hard to get into for me. They all seem to be about the same thing but with a new musician. There is always the actor that transforms into the real life person, and they most always deal with drugs and alcohol, and they follow the same beats with the rise and fall of the musician. However, 'Rocketman' is a completely different movie. As it does deal with drugs and alcohol, and the rise and fall of the musician, this movie has a voice of it's own.

The best thing about this movie is how unique it is. As it is a music biopic, it is also a musical. The actors break out into songs of Elton John to portray the emotions they are feeling. They relate the lyrics of the songs to the place in his life we are at in the movie. This was a surprise as I did not expect the actors to break out into song. However, this kept the film fast-paced and so much fun!

Another positive is, of course, Taron Egerton as Elton John. Egerton transforms into John and gives an Oscar worthy performance. I mean, if this guy does not win an Oscar it will be a shame. I have loved this guy in his previous work, but he knocked it out of the park with this one. Other than the great performance, Egerton brings an amazing voice to the movie. He sings his heart heart through the music of Elton John and brings the story to life. He was not the only one either, all the performances in this movie were great!

The story telling is this movie is spectacular. As I said, the movie breaks out into song here and there. This is not a normal thing people do in everyday life. This movie also portrays a dream-like atmosphere in certain scenes. The tagline of this movie is "The Only Way to Tell His Story is to live His Fantasy." That is exactly what this movie did. It did not play it safe. It took chances and played the story out just as John lived it- in a fantasy. We experience it just as Elton John had when he was abusing drugs.

Another thing I loved was it did not take chances. Like I said it did not play it safe with the fantasy aspect, but it also delved deep into John's drug abuse. Comparing it to Bohemian Rhapsody, which was PG-13, this movie goes all in and does not hold back. It shows the raw hardship that John went through with drugs and struggling with his homosexuality. It was worth it to take the risk with an R-rated because it feels all more real.

The only problem I had with the movie was it felt a little long in the middle. This movie is just two hours, however it dives deep into the fall of Elton John and it gets really depressing. There is not much of the musical scenes and the movie slows down a little bit. However, it never feels boring. We just go from upbeat musical to the depressing times of John's life. It just changes gears for a little bit there in the middle. As it does not make the movie bad or anything, it does feel a little too long.

I also did not really like how the movie just ended. It felt like it was leading to a big climax and then nothing. As the movie does have a uplifting ending and it did leave me satisfied, it just ended. There was no big concert for the climax or anything, which was a little disappointing not to have a big climatic moment in the film.

In the end, 'Rocketman' was a great movie! Taron Egerton's performance is one for the books. He killed this performance! The music in the movie is, of course, amazing! The story telling is unique for this kind of film that it makes for a fast-paced movie.

The question must be asked- Is 'Rocketman' better than Bohemian Rhapsody? Yes! 'Rocketman' is a hell of a good time and is a much better film than Bohemian Rhapsody is. Definitely give this movie a watch when you get a chance!