Review of Rocketman (2019) by Indiefilmlover — 30 May 2019

"Rocketman" is a story of Elton John's life through his music. While "Bohemian Rhapsody" gave a relatively upbeat examination of Freddie Mercury's life, "Rocketman" is more of a cautionary tale about the trappings of fame.

Taron Egerton, who does his own singing, is very good. Bryce Dallas Howard, is also worth mention for her outstanding performance as Elton's mom. "Rocketman" plays more like a traditional musical with plenty of singing and dancing.

Unlike "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again," where the staging of the musical numbers seemed perfunctory, a lot of creativity and imagination is on display in "Rocketman." The film does an excellent job of showing the passage of time without slowing the film down with subtitles and awkward transitions.

However, fans of Elton's music will probably wish they got more than short excerpts of each song. Overall, a very good biopic that avoids hagiography and cheap sentimentality.