Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.
Rocketman is a bold, fantastical take on the musical biopic, blending Elton John's songs into dream-like sequences that elevate it above the standard rise-and-fall narrative. Taron Egerton delivers an exceptional, fully committed performance — singing live and capturing John's flamboyance with genuine depth. The film's theatrical, expressionistic approach gives it personality that the more conventional Bohemian Rhapsody lacked, though it still follows familiar biopic beats of addiction and redemption. Cinematography is competent and colorful but rarely transcendent. The ending, while emotionally satisfying and consciously redemptive, is a bit tidy and on-the-nose, undercutting some of the film's wilder ambitions.