Rocketman- A movie that actually lets you experience the feeling of a Rockstar.

Movie review- Rocketman (2019)

In modern day society, the rise of Spotify has killed off the 'Greatest Hits' album. No longer do we have to buy an album that strings all the hodgepodge singles of an artists life to then find our favourite tracks were left on the cutting room floor. Now we can just create playlists and have our own personalised 'Greatest hits' and always be happy. This, however, means that there has been a difficult problem left for artists that are past their prime that want to remind us that they aren't dead. Thus movies like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman were born- a last minute cash grab to remind us of the songs we use to love. I can already picture Madonna's Material Girl coming to a cinema near you very soon. But, just because they're rooted in capitalist intentions doesn't mean they are bad movies- we have the rest of the industry to prove that.

My actual problem with any movie like these is the fact that the majority of them seem to just retell the story from one moment to another leaving me feeling like I had watched an episode of Piers Morgan's life stories. It is a lot more 'let me talk you through my life' than creating an interesting story with character development and feeling. They are a slice of heaven if you are already invested in the artists, but are lacking if you're coming to the cinema for a movie going experience. Rocketman is not except from these shortcomings, though it is most certainly the best of the bunch, so far. This is because rather than just using the platform to tell you how Elton's life has been as you go through ticking all the story points you knew would be there, this movie actually attempts to bring you along for the ride. The director, Dexter Fletcher, takes creative risks in capturing the feeling of Elton's life by using fantasy metaphors that are actually interesting. These metaphors help you connect much better with Elton as you get to experience glimmers of what it felt to be him rather than just watching him from the sides. As an audience we have been watching these artists for many years, so to actually connect with them and experience life in their shoes is much more thrilling than just seeing their recycled talk show anecdotes again.

The positives don't just end there. Taron Egerton puts in a fantastic performance and gets lost in the role like Rami Malik did with Freddie Mercury a couple of months earlier. Neither deserve an Oscar for their performances mind, but the point of the movies aren't to win gold and the only reason this may be nominated is if the Academy is struggling for viewership again. But, don't let that blemish the movie as for a pop corn flick that might make your mum cry it does really well. To give credit where credit is due, there were moments in the film when the cinematography was interesting and the team behind the film clearly had a vision from the start (you could not say the same for the all over the place Bohemian Rhapsody). It is the hard work from Egerton, Fletcher and the rest of the team that the movie does not leave the bitter taste of a 'last minute cash grab' as it feels like they very muchly cared for the movie they wanted to make and were willing to make creative risks to let you experience the feeling of a Rockstar.