“Rocketman” Movie Review

    Another week, another trip to the cinema!  With so many good looking films out now, it’s been hard to decide what to see these past few weeks.  One movie my girlfriend and I really wanted to see was the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” so when our friends Elva and Roy wanted to see that movie as well, it was settled.

    The movie tells the story of Sir Elton John from his childhood to his rise to living legend status.  Born Reginald Dwight, the movie shows his upbringing in a broken home and how he felt responsible for his home life.  Reginald was born a musical prodigy and turned to music in his troubled times.  The film then swifts focus to Reginald as a young man struggling to make it as musician.  This all changes with his musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.  Their collaborations together helped create some of the most iconic music in the modern era as the movie goes on to depict.  There are plenty of dark times for Reginald, now known as Elton John, ahead however.  As his fame rises, Elton John is forced to hide the fact that he is homosexual from the press for fear of the damage it would do to his career and he also grows increasingly addicted to alcohol and drugs.

    I really enjoyed this movie overall.  One thing that caught me a little off guard at first and took a little getting used to was the fact that the movie was both a biopic and musical.  I was expecting a more straight forward biopic in the vain of “Bohemian Rhapsody” but this film managed to set itself apart from that film by telling it’s story in a different way.

    I am a big Elton John fan so I wanted to see this movie a little more than my girlfriend (although she enjoys some of his music as well).  I grew up listening to oldies as a kid and performers like The Beatles, Elton John, The Monkees, Queen, The Doors, The Rolling Stones and so on have a special place in my heart.  Naturally, the music that featured in this film was a highlight for me.

    One thing that worried me a bit going into the movie was the fact that Elton John himself was listed as an executive producer, which typically means, Elton John himself has to approve of how he is depicted in the movie.  People have a tendency to only want to highlight the best parts of their lives and omit aspects which may make them appear in a negative light.  After all, we are the heroes in our own stories.  Somewhat surprisingly, the film does a pretty admirable job painting a complete picture of Elton John.  There are times in the film in which Elton John comes off as a very sympathetic character and times in which he is depicted as sort of a jerk.  The thing is, it makes him feel like a real person because even the nicest person can be seen as rude or nasty to someone else and perhaps they have good reason to be.

    The film also doesn’t shy away from Sir Elton John’s personal struggles.  The film depicts Elton John as a man who turns to alcohol and drugs to cope with his depression.  His depression, at least as depicted in the film, is caused from his home life and having to live his life in the closet.  It wasn’t until he could accept his homosexuality and learn to love himself that he was able to free himself from addiction.  With June being LGBT pride month, this movie couldn’t have picked a better time to come out.  One struggle I thought Elton John might want downplayed in the film was his struggle writing lyrics.  Instead, much of the focus of the film was about his struggle admitting that he loved and needed Bernie Taupin in his professional and personal life.  The two are still good friends after all these years.

    What makes this film extra special is the cast.  Taron Egerton does a stellar job embodying Sir Elton John.  Egerton seems almost destined to play the role after singing one of Elton John’s songs in the movie “Sing” and co-starring with the icon himself in “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”.  Jamie Bell does a good job as Bernie Taupin (thankfully Bell is a better actor than he is a singer however).  “Game of Thrones” alumni Richard Madden plays against type as John Reid, the antagonistic manager of Elton John.  Fun little trivia for “Game of Thrones” fans, Aiden Gillen played John Reid in the film “Bohemian Rhapsody”.  Lastly worth a mention, Bryce Dallas Howard appears and does an incredible job as Elton John’s mother.

    It should be noted that Dexter Fletcher directed this film and a good chunk of “Bohemian Rhapsody” after Bryan Singer was fired from the project.  To some degree, the two movies feel a bit like they share the same universe (being biopics, I guess they do to some degree).  While some aspects feel very different than “Bohemian Rhapsody”, other visual styles feel very similar.

    In the end, “Rocketman” proved to be an interesting look inside the early life of Elton John.  Regardless if you enjoy his music or not, it makes for an interesting movie. “Rocketman” shows how a star is truly born and will keep your toes tapping.

Grade: A-

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Movie Review

    Queen was and remains one of the most iconic rock and roll groups of all time.  So much of their music has influenced popular culture.  Their music has been popular fixtures on the radio and on films.  Queen is a legendary group which explains why it took so look for a film adaptation to become reality, no one wanted to mess it up.  That being said, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was finally released this week to mixed reactions.  It seemed liked critics hated it or loved it.  Well, I don’t know what movie the critics who hated it saw because I loved this film.
    As stated above, “Bohemian Rhapsody” tells the story of the formation of Queen but it’s primary focus is on lead vocalist Freddy Mercury.  The story of Freddy Mercury is both uplifting and tragic.  The story has been criticized for taking historical liberties with dates and events.  I can understand wanting the most historically accutate movie possible, but films also have to be entertaining so creative license must be allowed, even for a subject as well known as the band Queen.  I do understand why some critics would be upset but almost every historic epics take liberties with facts, a great deal of them take far more drastic liberties than this movie did.
    I suspect a great deal of the critism the film is facing is due to Bryan Singer and the controversy he is currently facing.  Bryan Singer has long been accused of sexual harassment involving minions among others.  This does not make the accusations true, but many Hollywood insiders maintain that these accounts are valid.  Bryan Singer is a very gifted director regardless of  the accusations he faces.  If what he did is true, he is a terrible person but that doesn’t change his films from being well made.  Now, Bryan Singer was fired from the movie after completing 75% of the film for being difficult to work with.  Dexter Fletcher (who is set to helm “Rocket Man”) took over the remaining directing duties and polished the rest of the film.
    The cast was one of the best aspects of the film.  Rami Malek was sensational as Freddy Mercury.  He took the role after Sacha Baron Cohen decided to pass on the film.  Malek channels the confidence and inner turmoil Mercury faced throughout his life.  The supporting cast were great and made you feel like you were really watching the band Queen.  Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, and Joseph Mazzello portray Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon.  The chemistry with the cast felt as real as the chemistry of the group.  Mike Myers plays a record executive named Ray Foster.  I thought he might be distracting but I liked his small part in the film.  The film gave a humorous nod to his “Wayne’s World” role as well.
    The love story focused on his relationship with Mary Austin, depicting her as perhaps the true love of his life despite his homosexuality.  This is a very tragic relationship in the movie.  The film doesn’t shy away from his homosexuality despite what some critics are saying.  The film tried to represent love as something deeper and independent of sexuality.  It was really well done and emotional in my opinion and seemed to really want the audience to think about what love truly represents.
    The film was funny and charming.  Seeing the poor reviews showcased for the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” was humorous considering it’s a classic.  The conversations about the song “I’m In Love With My Car” provided a humorous on going joke in the movie.  There were aspects about Freddy Mercury and Queen I wasn’t aware of and found interesting.  I also liked how they focused on each band members contributions to the music and showing how collaborative they all were together.  The concert footage was also beyond fantastic.  The cinematography for those scenes made you feel like you were there.  There were literally people in the theater waving their arms in the air as the music played.

    I wish they covered certain events like scoring “Flash Gordon” and “Highlander” (although “Who Wants to Live Forever” was featured in the movie and used effectively).  My guess is they couldn’t depict that over rights issues.  That was the only thing I can complain about, the movie left me wanting more.  Ultimately “Bohemian Rhapsody” turned out to be one of the best movies and best experiences I have seen in awhile.

Grade: A+