The last movie that I decided to watch this month was Rocketman. I had no expectations, which is probably the best way to judge a movie, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Before seeing this movie I had Bohemian Rhapsody in mind as from the trailer it looked pretty similar.  In retrospect I was probably too generous when I reviewed Bohemian Rhapsody as now, in comparison, it seems kind of boring and forgettable.

Rocketman is probably an exaggerated look into Elton John’s life as there are parts that are unlikely to have occurred in real life. This didn’t really bother me as this movie features quite a compelling personal story of Elton John’s long search for acceptance and love. The music side is just set dressing as the personal drama is the heart of the movie. It does a great job at getting you to really sympathise with Elton and understand the terrible demons lingering over him.

It’s a movie that I felt got better as it progressed.  At the time of watching the scenes when he was a kid I wasn’t really into them but I now see that it was a necessary part of the overall story. I also wasn’t sure about Elton’s relationship with his best friend, but as it progressed I completely bought their friendship, which was something I couldn’t say for Freddy and his band. This movie is daring with where it takes it’s subject matter, which is unusual for a Hollywood movie. It really dives into the Elton John drug benders and it’s so perfectly crafted that you really feel what this man is going through.

Another reason why I prefer Rocketman over Bohemian Rhapsody is that it’s better directed. Dexter Fletcher’s direction in this movie is far better than his quick directing job for Bohemian Rhapsody.  Also in Bohemian Rhapsody the supporting cast were lacklustre while in this one the entire cast is equally as good as the lead. I should note however that Taron Egerton, as Elton John, gave an exceptional performance.

Oh yeah, there’s music too. I’m not against musicals as I have talked about a fair amount of them on this site. I don’t buy tickets just for the musical numbers, but more the story behind it. I liked what they did with the music in this movie as it feels like an actual play. Elton John’s songs are scattered throughout the movie at appropriate places to make you feel the emotions each scene is presenting. Crocodile Rock is obviously a party song so it’s at a concert, Your Song is played at the start of his career as you feel he just had his big break and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has a sense of change and rediscovery.

Rocketman surprisingly wasn’t average. I had some gripes, but I reckon that might change on future rewatches. I really enjoyed myself so I’m going bold like Elton John’s fashion sense and going with a 9/10. It’s a good watch and if this grabs your interest then I highly recommend it. That’s the end of May and this review. Hope you enjoyed it and I have been The Blog Complainer, signing out.