MOVIE REVIEW: "Rocketman" (2019)
Synopsis: Outstandingly talented (but at the same time very shy), prodigy pianist Reginald Dwight decides to change his name to Elton John and ends up becoming a major internationally renowned music star during the 1970s.
There are those who can not see this icon of music within the scene of Rock music (mainly because of the change in the strand of their most current works), but it is fact that in the 70's he was a representative of weight for this musical genre. This cinebiography makes this very clear by following the trajectory of the young from his time of studies in the Royal Academy of music and all the difficulties until his rise as a legend of Rock of the 70.
In spite of the similarities with Bohemian Rhapsody (basically because the themes are very similar), different from what is seen there, the script here is much more structured, fed with more challenging elements and is built in an organic and growing way since its first minutes projection (highlighting excellent photography, editing scenes and sound mixing).
The ludic tone dictates the whole atmosphere of the film and there is no doubt about it because it makes a point of exhaling each of the musical numbers that are part of it. But in the midst of this, the narrative plunges into the punctual problems that have surrounded the singer's life since his childhood and the problems that have endured during his adulthood. For example: still very young had to deal with lack of affective lack on the part of the family and its addictions watered down to drugs, drinks and sex helped to precarize the scene.
As for Elton John's portrayal of the actor Taron Egerton, it can be said that the pianist's irreverence, as well as his internal and external conflicts, are well-printed on the screen (especially if he observes the film as a whole). Without forgetting, of course, the presence of many of his songs that have become true classics and that gratify the soundtrack of the film itself in a sensational way (especially with all the creativity in which they were worked through the scenes in which they appear)!
His work is appropriate (despite being overly theatrical at some specific times) and highlights all the extravagance that governs the singer's style through his entertaining performances (which become even more fun with the addition of his costumes and other peculiar accessories)... And in parallel to this, he is able to thrill in his most introspective moments where the dramatic scenes appear as a counterpoint of weight bringing the whole reflective aspect in its most diverse aspects.
Dexter Fletcher is the director who is in charge of this story full of frantic moments built on musically explosive scenes and the comparison with Bohemian Rhapsody becomes even more "obligatory" because he is the director who was hired by FOX to give the final touches in the Freddie Mercury's story (who was initially commanded by Bryan Singer, later dismissed from the post).
However, here Fletcher's work, besides having much more space to show itself, does it in a more human, more mature and much more daring way. He chose to set aside (but never completely forsake) the focus on the figure of Elton John as an artist and throws the spotlight on the figure of Elton John as a human being and all the personal and professional dilemmas he had to face to become who became.
This is the analysis that guides the entire film in a consistent way (the good cast of supporting actors reinforces this) and also gives all the solidity that is necessary to retain the plot. It is also important to mention that it is precisely the respect for the narrative that the director maintains (in the smallest details) that make the biopic much bigger than the musical spectacles that are seen on the screen.
If I had to summarize Rocketman with just a few worlds, I would just make a comparison (and that would be extremely pertinent) with Bohemian Rhapsody and just say: The Elton John movie was everything - and a little bit more! - that the Freddie Mercury movie could not be! Anyway, it was as if one had been an inspiring rehearsal for the great birth of the other.