Rocketman Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Taron Egerton mesmerises in this terrific biopic.

Rocketman Taron Egerton
Paramount Pictures

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...

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.