Rocketman is nothing short of an engrossing musical tale! A definite watch for fans of cinema and art!

Akash

Ever wondered what it would be like to live the life of a musical rockstar? Here’s your answer says director Dexter Fletcher, as he has come out with one of the finest biography films ever that is based on the life of the musician Elton John. Titled ‘Rocketman’ this musical journey deserves a few paragraphs of praise and an underlying verdict that pushes you to watch it.

Rocketman is pure passion, talent, hard work clubbed with loads of music. A young kid Reginald has a distrubed childhood as his father never shows him love and his mother is always cold to him. At a very young age, he discovers his talent with the piano and somehow manages to get a scholarship in a renowned school. From there on, the film talks about his rise to fame, his first gig, the numerous characters that he encounters in his life, his homosexual relationship, his aggresion and above all, his loneliness and drug addiction.

With all of this squeezed into an engaging musical ride that has a runtime of around 2 hours, there is so much scope for performance. Taron Egerton as Elton deserves a few awards as he nails it with his emotions, dialogue delivery and acting. Jamie Bell as Barnie, Elton’s buddy was also impressively carried out. The best part of the film apart from the music was their relationship. It was so pure though it was unusual. How often do we see a homosexual yet brother like relationship where both the men bond over music? Sounds so whacky but it is easy to state that this bond has worked wonders for the film Rocketman.

Director Dexter has handled most of the emotions beautifully. The scenes that unravel in a very non-linear fashion from a rehab to his childhood and back to his adulthood all deserve a big applause. It is not easy to blend the musical aspect of the film with this sort of a story narration. Kudos to the entire team for keeping it so natural. Elton is good at heart but is shown no love. The words from his mother, “You will never ever be truly loved”, would resonate in everyone’s ears even after they leave the screens. This is the kind of a lasting impact, Elton and his life has on us. He has all the money and fame, he has talent that he can explore all his life but not a single soul who would shower pure affection on him. Not his dad, not his mom, maybe just Barnie at some instances. This can also be termed as a tragedy for such a big superstar and that is how unique his life has been.

Technically, there is nothing to complain about Rocketman the film. Music by Mathew Margeson needs a standing ovation and cinematography George Richmond is a treat. Some of the movement shots are fabulous and some static close ups that have Elton emoting for over a minute are so well lit up. Yellow lights have done the trick and given us the mood required for such intense, emotion driven scenes.

Are there no negatives about the film? Well there could be but what one might do is overlook that for the majority of the boxes that have been ticked off right from the start. The scene where Elton hugs the kid he was, though an imaginary one, depicts the entire film’s craving in one shot. He craves for pure love, a true bond and that is exactly what he never had all his life in spite of being the superstar muscian, Elton John himself.

This is a film that should not be missed for the brilliance that the entire team has come up with. Rocketman has a class of its own and like the life of its protagonist, has a lot of ups and downs but leaves you nearly in tears for many of the stellar shot sequences and keeps you hooked throughout. The finish is also quite beautiful and director Dexter delivers an overall, impactful package in the form of Rocketman.

Bottomline

A must watch for its natural flow, intense acting, river like screenplay and the pure depiction of a legend’s life! Elton scores and scores big with Rocketman!

Rating: 3.5/5