{"id":7771,"date":"2019-05-29T19:15:45","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T02:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/?p=7771"},"modified":"2019-05-31T17:06:19","modified_gmt":"2019-06-01T00:06:19","slug":"rocketman-review-three-reasons-to-see-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/rocketman-review\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Rocketman&#8217; Review &#8211; Three Reasons To See It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Dexter Fletcher\u2019s <em>Rocketman<\/em> is a flashy and fantastic musical biopic befitting an exquisitely eccentric icon. Taron Egerton stars as Sir Elton John, a British child prodigy who blossomed into the shopaholic piano sensation of global fame. Fletcher and Egerton are two-for-two counting their first collaboration, 2015\u2019s Olympic skiing heartwarmer<em> Eddie The Eagle<\/em>, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/rocketman\/280677\"><em>Rocketman<\/em><\/a> blasts into a stratosphere of quality past last year\u2019s Oscar-winning\u00a0<em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em>. Fletcher\u2019s latest is loud and rambunctious and everything Elton would be proud of, showing what a true survivor looks like in the disco-reflective flesh.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1080\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OBXBdTek4-k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Paramount will be rocking theaters everywhere when <em>Rocketman<\/em> releases on May 31st, a recommended watch for Elton John\u2019s most sequined-out superfans to ordinary moviegoers in the mood for larger-than-life enchantment. Here are three rhinestone-encrusted reasons to catch the summer\u2019s wildest biographical flamboyance in full view.<\/p>\n<p>Lee Hall\u2019s screenplay incorporates Elton\u2019s battle with addiction and meteoric rise to rock stardom in seamless transitions set to thematically relevant singalong tracks. As a legend falls, so does he ascend. Maybe it\u2019s while recognizing Elton\u2019s dependency on longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), or bickering with manager and lover John Reid (Richard Madden), or stomaching another one of mother&#8217;s stony retorts (Sheila, played by Bryce Dallas Howard). <em>Rocketman<\/em> is about the love we deserve and the person we\u2019re allowed to be. Words of compassion versus self-medicated escapes. A film as personal as Elton\u2019s own deeply emotive stadium anthems.<\/p>\n<h2>1. Taron Egerton Can Do It All<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.atomtickets.com\/image\/upload\/h_960,q_auto\/v1555611996\/ingestion-images-archive-prod\/archive\/1555611995607_280677_cops_10.jpg\" width=\"1439\" height=\"960\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Yes, that\u2019s Taron Egerton singing Elton John\u2019s catalog in <em>Rocketman<\/em>. No lip-synching. I\u2019ve been applauding the <em>Kingsman<\/em> star ever since Eggsy saved the world, predicting his supermassive talents would soon unleash with grand spectacle. Egerton does it all &#8211; in platforms and cumbersome costumes no less &#8211; smoldering hotness through choreographed dances, stage-shaking energy, and Elton\u2019s unique ambitious fire. Thinning hair and dental fixtures only physically transform, but Egerton more than rises to the challenge of owning another\u2019s personality far beyond simple karaoke impressions.<\/p>\n<p>The actor understands Elton\u2019s complexities instilled from a young age, instructed not to be \u201csoft\u201d by his guarded father and discouraged by warped definitions of \u201clove\u201d all around. Egerton hits the high notes of \u201cPinball Wizard\u201d and wins over skeptical audiences with \u201cCrocodile Rock,\u201d but also connects with Elton\u2019s destructive lows. The pills, the emptiness, the constant attention-seeking ploys. We first meet Elton as he\u2019s marching into rehab still wearing an orange-bright winged demon getup meant for a Madison Square Garden concert, and it\u2019s the perfect introduction. Egerton plops down in a folding chair, shimmering horns and all, then immediately begins recalling the pains corrupting his character\u2019s psyche. Ever the showman, deeply troubled and desperate for compassion. Taron Egerton, take a bow.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Come For The Dazzling Show&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.atomtickets.com\/image\/upload\/h_960,q_auto\/v1555612024\/ingestion-images-archive-prod\/archive\/1555612023299_280677_cops_12.jpg\" width=\"1152\" height=\"960\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Fletcher\u2019s vision for <em>Rocketman<\/em> borderlines fantasy and reality, as Egerton\u2019s musical numbers remove Elton from on-screen scenarios while he walks through a party unnoticed or steps away from another awkward family dinner. Lyrics replace dialogue and songs double as storytelling. Bernie may have been supplying Elton\u2019s words, but Fletcher\u2019s allowance of Elton\u2019s performances to replace narrative structure highlights the singer\u2019s aching cries through perceived entertainment. A recontextualization of these moving composed journeys laid atop Elton\u2019s actual life, transcending song into biography. Passion and rawness were (still are) always his signatures. Why write somber dialogue when Elton\u2019s own songs already sang it best?<\/p>\n<p>Then you have the more uptempo party anthem scenes, be it Elton\u2019s literal elevating of an entire crowd during his Troubadour\u00a0debut (Tate Donovan <em>kills<\/em> as LA-loopy owner Doug Weston) to his dreamlike jet-propulsion liftoff during \u201cRocket Man.\u201d Fletcher\u2019s focus on showmanship punches into overdrive when excitement is needed, pointing to \u201cSaturday Night&#8217;s Alright (For Fighting)\u201d and a choreographed fight-dance-jive through nighttime carnival grounds. Hordes of backup dancers, Egerton losing himself in Elton\u2019s skin, glammed-up commitment to brazen fashions from the sparkly Dodgers uniform to regal queen antique to the biggest feathered headdresses available &#8211; <em>Rocketman<\/em> honors Elton\u2019s pageantry and peacock\u2019ed confidence in style throughout.<\/p>\n<h2>3. &#8230;Stay For The Behind The Scenes Pass<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/images.atomtickets.com\/image\/upload\/h_960,q_auto\/v1539030838\/ingestion-images-archive-prod\/archive\/1539030837943_280677_cops_3.jpg\" width=\"1390\" height=\"960\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a running joke these days that musical biopics post <em>Walk Hard: A Dewey Cox Story<\/em> learned <em>nothing<\/em> from Jake Kasdan\u2019s satirical musical mockupic, but <em>Rocketman<\/em> avoids such shame. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the schmaltz, hardships, and hardcore partying are there. When Elton comes out to his mother, she utters a line along the lines of, \u201cYou\u2019re choosing a life of never being loved properly.\u201d It\u2019s the unavoidable ups and downs of limitless celebrity tumultuousness, conflict-based where drama and pacing are concerned.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rocketman<\/em> avoids feeling rigid and dress-up fake like <em>Bohemian Rhapsody<\/em>, or, more recently,\u00a0<em>The Dirt<\/em>. The way Hall\u2019s script and Fletcher\u2019s direction weaves Elton\u2019s confession of major lifelong milestones to his rehab group with \u201cflashback\u201d &#8211; or real-time &#8211; events keeps pacing surging forward. Egerton\u2019s becoming Elton John leaves no characterization unturned. Fancy footwork, furious outbursts, and one man\u2019s narcotics-heavy downward spiral make for a glorious rebirth, fully embracing Elton\u2019s sexuality and sincerity on-screen. A splashy picture of professional calamity that peels back Elton\u2019s rainbow layers to uncover the wounded man underneath, acted so finely by a skyrocketing young actor whose projects will only become more noteworthy. <em>Rocketman<\/em>&#8216;s fuse never flickers out, kicking summer&#8217;s cinematic slate off with a chic-and-excitable blast.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atomtickets.com\/movies\/rocketman\/280677?ref=gettickets\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-7948 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/blog-proxy.atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Get-Tickets.png\" alt=\"get tickets\" width=\"200\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dexter Fletcher\u2019s Rocketman is a flashy and fantastic musical biopic befitting an exquisitely eccentric icon. Taron Egerton stars as Sir Elton John, a British child prodigy who blossomed into the shopaholic piano sensation of global fame. Fletcher and Egerton are two-for-two counting their first collaboration, 2015\u2019s Olympic skiing heartwarmer Eddie The Eagle, as Rocketman blasts [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7772,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[40,37],"class_list":["post-7771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-featuredpage","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7771"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8006,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7771\/revisions\/8006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}