Rocketman is magical. It's a biographical musical film, based on the life of Elton John, and is billed as being "based on a true fantasy". That's an accurate description, because it's not a biopic in the traditional sense. You can't watch it as an Elton John purist, expecting the songs to be done in their proper chronological order, or the story to be told exactly as you know it. Parts of it come across like an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, but it works as such, and seems appropriate for the subject matter.
Dexter Fletcher's direction is captivating, and not since Sissy Spacek's uncanny embodiment of Loretta Lynn in 'Coal Miner's Daughter' have I seen someone capture the essence of a musical icon with such pitch-perfect precision as does the totally engaging Taron Egerton (with an obvious nod to Rami Malek's for his Academy Award winning portrayal of Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody').
Bryce Dallas Howard as EJ's mother is wonderful (as always), and she brings a heartbreaking element to Rocketman that is essential to the story. The film works on many levels, particularly as a story of personal redemption, and the soundtrack, (which I'm listening to as I write this), is with Taron Egerton's own voice, and it's excellent.
Recommended.
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