Rocketman | View Review

The story of how Elton John was born.

It’s been out for a while but only now did I get the opportunity to watch it. Definitely can see it as a movie made for cinema but I wouldn’t have liked to watch it on the big screen.

As I don’t have a big budget for cinema spending I tend to only go watch movies that I see a return on money. Something that really annoys me is going to the cinema ‘just because’.

I am a 90’s kid but I very much appreciate the ’80s and its music and Elton John was a big part of it. Although being a fan of Elton would certainly enhance my interest in the movie, that was not the case. I am not the biggest fan of his work but I was very much looking forward to this biography.

After the big success that was ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ that shed new light onto Queen and more particularly, Freddie Mercury, my hopes were high.

This movie was also nominated for the Academy Awards which makes it a must-watch.

Truth is, it didn’t give me much. It starts by telling the story of Elton’s early start. His upbringing, cold father and supportive mother, how he played the piano 24/7 and was put into a school for prodigies where he enhanced his piano skills.

The story of his childhood gave the story its start. It might be weird to say this but I felt the overall movie very ‘safe’. Meaning that we were given 1% of what really happened. There were no controversies, no mistakes, nothing. It all seemed too ‘safe’.

With ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ we see a new part of Queen and get excited about it. In Elton’s story, it kind of fell flat. Every time I was waiting for the movie to give me a bit more, it would just give me more of the same.

If someone would ask me ‘Can you resume ‘Bohemian Rhapsody for me?’ I would answer ‘It’s better if you just watch the movie, it has a lot of detail and it’s just a really good watch!’. If they would ask the same for ‘Rocketman’ I would just resume It in 4 minutes.

Give me content!

He is a quirky character, there must be so much more than what they are showing. Funky costumes and glasses? Fun, but that’s just branding. Show me more of Elton is.

Actor wise it was a really good choice. Taron was a really good Elton, I just don’t believe the script was the best to work with. Costume and makeup were on point and everyone in the production should be proud of themselves for all the hard work. I just need more stories, more compelling facts and arguments.

I don’t want to elaborate more as I want to keep my blog posts a bit more spoiler-free. If you wish to talk to me about the movie please do comment below. If you don’t want spoilers don’t go to the comment section. I think it’s easier that way.