Rocketman Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs
Taron Egerton mesmerises in this terrific biopic.
Elton John biopic Rocketman is only the first of what's sure to be a heap of glossy musical dramas released in the wake of Bohemian Rhapsody's mighty commercial and awards success, but it's also a riveting film that avoids many of the Queen bio's fatal mistakes.
Scoring strong critical praise since its recent premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Rocketman is an uncommonly well-crafted biopic, acted and directed with great skill while paying firm tribute to its focal figure - yet not without confessing his many personal stumbles.
Whether you're a fan of the legendary pop icon or not, this is a thoroughly entertaining and at-times rather ambitious telling of Elton John's life story.
Keenly experimenting around with the genre's form while still telling a broadly compelling story, Rocketman stands tall as a textbook example of how to examine a creative's inner mind with unexpected thoughtfulness and grace.
Above all else, it'll unquestionably be sending audiences straight to Spotify to stream the musician's hits - which is the true ringing endorsement of any musical biopic. Fingers crossed it doesn't get lost in the awards shuffle over the course of the year...