You may recall last December, we had a look at Bohemian Rhapsody, and how it embodied everything that should not be done when making a biographical film about a musical icon. This review will take a similar approach, but from the complete other direction, which is a relief to say the very least. Rocketman is the very definition of what happens when a film about a public entertainer is made correctly. In no uncertain terms, this film is amongst the greatest musical biopics ever produced, a riveting, beautifully-made and deeply entertaining film about a true icon, one that narrowly avoids every possible moment of pretention or taut conventions, with director Dexter Fletcher (the man brought in to salvage the wreck that was the despicable Freddie Mercury biopic last year) proving himself to be a truly astonishing filmmaker, someone with the capacity to deliver a compelling and often extremely emotional film about Elton John, one of the most fascinating men in musical history, imbuing Rocketman with pathos, compassion and every bit of empathy the subject not only deserved but most definitely required in order to make for a respectful and honest biographical film. It is certainly not a film that takes many overt risks, and it may appear conventional in both its structure and its execution – but I’ll be damned if this is one of the most entertaining cinematic experiences I’ve had in a while – it has the heart of a truly great work, and while it may not count as a particularly profound piece of art, it treats its iconic subject with the precise respect his life and career warrants. In short, Rocketman is a film I was hoping to at least like (with my expectations kept hopelessly low), but I came away feeling an unbelievable sense of awe and admiration for what may not be a film that challenges conventions, but rather uses them in a way that is deeply and unabashedly human. There’s no other way to say it: I adored absolutely everything about Rocketman.

Elton John is an enigma – for most of us, he is the endearing musician with a lot of attitude and even more talent, who is frequently at royal events and other high society gigs, known for his long career that saw him become an unlikely rock music icon. For those who have looked into his past, or at least know a bit about his music, it’s clear that this was not always the case. He was not always Elton John, worldwide music icon – he used to be little Reginald Dwight from England, who was the offspring of a family that didn’t always support his musical interests, and offered him very little support (with the exception of his grandmother – why is it always the grandmothers who give the most support? Does the position come with a mandatory course on empathy and compassion?). From the moment, as his mother says, “he dangled his fat little legs in front of a piano”, the artist soon to be known as Elton John was captivated by music, and made it his life’s ambition to become a star. With the support of his close friend and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and a plethora of other figures throughout the years – some good, some not so much, Reginald Dwight undertook the glorious metamorphosis into Elton John, and found himself entering the hallowed halls of musical history – but not without the challenges that come with fame and stardom, which these kinds of biographical films have taught us well.

The areas in which Rocketman differs from other musical biopics are not particularly broad – this is not the most innovative films, and it does stick to something of a similar structure, not deviating too far from the framework we’ve seen before. By all means, this film should be just like any other conventional film of this ilk – and it flourishes not through avoiding cliches, but rather through embracing them, taking on a structure that is very familiar, burrowing to the root of what makes these kinds of films so compelling, and delivering a masterful and undeniably entertaining experience that soars high above most films of this genre. Dexter Fletcher, by no means a conventional filmmaker himself, is given free-reign with Rocketman to deliver a biopic in his own way, taking some of the same qualities we’ve seen several times before, transforming them into moments, not of narrative predictability, but thrilling, deeply absorbing storytelling that takes the audience on an engrossing adventure into the life and times of a musical genius and his many professional and personal challenges. Fletcher seems to be keenly aware of the challenge in making a film like this, including the temptation of sinking into the realm of the cliche. Thankfully, for the most part, he avoids this with deft precision, not necessarily changing the way the story is told, but rather the way in which these conventions are used.

In all honesty, the successes of Rocketman begin and end with Taron Egerton, who is precisely why this film can flourish as much as it did. An actor who has been around for a while, but has not yet been pigeonholed into a particular kind of role, Egerton has played everything an actor of his age can play. This versatility helped him massively in portraying Elton John, because not only does it give him the chance to explore different sides of his own talents, it also lets him make a chameleonic transformation into the character. When watching this film, we forget that this is Taron Egerton playing Elton John – he blurs the boundaries between reality and reconstruction throughout, and not only due to the meticulous detail put into recreating John’s most iconic looks (as shown in the credits). When the posters and trailers for Rocketman proclaim boldly “Taron Egerton is Elton John”, they’re really reflecting the fact that he morphs himself into the iconic musician in a way very few actors playing real-life roles ever tend to. He captures John’s mannerisms and voice perfectly, actually putting in the effort to develop his voice, rather than just lip-sync, as we have embarrassingly seen in some other musical biopics, including the one closely compared with this one. His performance extends far beyond just mere imitation (there’s more to playing a rock icon than a fake moustache and hideous buckteeth) – he delves deeply into the mind and body of Elton John and takes on the unenviable challenge of playing such a larger-than-life figure with nothing but astonishing gusto and true dedication. It wouldn’t be odd to see this performance becoming one of the blueprints for a successful performance in biographical film, and I truly believe that Egerton has accomplished the impossible with this role – he took the risk of playing an extraordinarily famous public figure who stands as one of the most legendary men in rock music, and delivered not only a good portrayal of the individual, but also a brilliant performance in its own right, separate from the fact that he is playing Elton John. If he wasn’t a household name already, Rocketman should certainly do the trick, and if there was ever a truly star-making turn, it absolutely was this one.

Rocketman is certainly a film focused on music – it celebrates the artistic process and openly conveys the thrills of fame, but not without exploring the perils that come with success. It isn’t merely a film about Elton John’s rise to fame, but also a frank and open exploration of his struggles throughout the years. John has been open about his issues with sobriety, and this film doesn’t neglect the more painful moments in the singer’s life. Rocketman is a film about addiction and the dangers of excess – the film is bookended by John entering a rehab facility in order to overcome his addictions, which is a recurrent device used to frame the film and its events throughout. The film takes a very compassionate approach to John’s vices, showing his intense relationship with them in a way that doesn’t glorify the drugs, but also doesn’t revile him for his addictions, showing it as a by-product of immense fame. All too many films about people that struggle with substance abuse either make addiction look less harrowing than it is (and show the recovery process as being far easier than reality), or present it as entirely the fault of the individual who even trying them in the first place, which is equally as troubling, because as this film demonstrates, it is far easier to descend into excess when you’ve got the money and the acclaim to be able to afford it, and the temptation is always stronger when you’re a public figure. The way Rocketman demonstrates John’s personal quandaries – not being restricted to substance abuse and addiction – but all of his issues that came with fame may be a bit saccharine at times, but effectively so, it and helps paint a complex portrait of an artist navigating a meteoric rise to fame and acclaim, along with all the problems that come with being a public figure. It is very meaningful work, and those behind the making of this film put in an admirable effort to create a film that isn’t only entertaining but also profoundly moving at the same time.

There is a certain compassion present throughout the film that makes Rocketman such a compelling film. This is, more than anything else, an affectionate ode to Elton John – rather than being a strictly biographical film about his struggles, it’s also a steadfast celebration of one of the most deeply talented artists of his decade. In this regard, Fletcher and screenwriter Lee Hall (the person behind the script to the terrific Billy Elliott, amongst other equally entertaining films), create an atmosphere in this film of acknowledging John’s music, dividing Rocketman into more traditional musical performances where he plays in front of audiences, and more flamboyant musical sequences that break the boundaries of reality and see John’s songs repurposed as major musical numbers, but not without meaning. This isn’t necessarily an attempt to make a jukebox musical about John’s life and work, but intrinsically related to the framing device that serves as the film’s structure – the events of the film are made out to be John’s memories told in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and thus its only natural that someone as imaginative as he would imbue his life story with a dizzying blend of electrifying concert performances and surreal musical sequences. The heightened and extravagant nature of this film and its execution are not done because this film is trying to convey reality as a whole, but rather the truth according to Elton, with his nostalgic recollections serving not only to make this an entertaining experience but one also deeply meaningful and endlessly personal. Music is an impactful method of telling a story in a way that is almost universally understood – and it would appear that the main impetus behind this film wasn’t merely to present Elton John’s life, but also his relationship to the music, which is used in extraordinary ways to not only help move the story along but define pivotal moments in his life.

Ultimately, what I adored most about Rocketman was that it is a deeply honest film, and it contains a great amount of sympathy for the subject, affording him every bit of respect he deserves without glamorising his problems or trivializing the struggles he went through over the course of his career. He may not be an established director just yet, but Fletcher deserves a good amount of kudos for his ability to infuse his films with a great amount of heart. Much like one of his previous films, Eddie the Eagle (which was initially his first collaboration with Egerton), Rocketman is a very warm, endearing film that has an optimistic outlook on an individual overcoming problems and making triumphant strides in his career, surmounting the impossible and finding his way to achieving his ambitions, but not with considerable deviations. Fletcher continues to prove himself a capable director, and his work here is solid, finding the perfect balance the ornate and elaborate sequences of John’s showmanship and exuberant personality and the more private moments of inner turmoil and emotional strife.  This film is certainly not without flaws – it does follow a predictable formula (with the exception of a complete dismissal of a traditional third-act with a crisis-resolution structure, going to a very unconventional, almost wonderfully surreal, climax) and it does fall victim slightly to some of the genre’s more troubling conventions, but instead of entirely ignoring these cliches that are unfortunately embedded within these kinds of films – how can way can there be to represent a musical icon’s struggles with addiction? – they acknowledge them and distract from the major narrative issues through meticulously-constructed recreations and dizzying musical sequences that will make even the most cynical of viewers feel something close to enjoyment, as well as sincerity in the development of the protagonist and his metaphysical journey.

The film never condescends either the audience, nor does it exploit the subject matter for any artistic or creative purpose, rather allowing John’s extraordinary story to flourish on its own, and for his iconic music to tell the story of his life without ever resorting to anything overly-emotional or unnecessarily sentimental. For me, the biggest merit of Rocketman was that it is a film that genuinely cares about the story it tells – it was not made to capitalize on the success of other recent musical biopics (its production genesis even predates some of the films it is compared to), but to tell the astonishing true story of a musical icon. In the end, this was a film made to appeal to a wide audience – and it certainly does just that. For Elton John devotees and otherwise interested fans, it delivers a joyful celebration of his work. For fans of musical biopics, it stands as one of the most profoundly entertaining films within that genre, and for general audiences, it is a fascinating, captivating story about the highs and lows of one of the great musical icons of our time, and most certainly the camp event of the year (the costumes Egerton wears throughout are almost worth the price of admission on their own). This was a film I was hoping to enjoy, but expecting to dislike – and I have never been more pleased to be absolutely wrong. This is a wonderful film, with an extraordinary central performance from Taron Egerton, beautifully-executed musical sequences that will have enthral everyone, from the most dedicated fan to the casual neophyte, and a deeply personal human story at the core that resonates with anyone who has had to overcome any form of seemingly-insurmountable challenges. It may be somewhat derivative, and far from the more audacious, innovative films that we see each year, but taken on its own terms, and based on its many merits, I have no hesitation in saying that Rocketman is a genuinely great film, filled with undeniable warmth, authentic emotion and the devil-may-care joyfulness that only music can bring.