Re-viewed: Rise And Fall Of The Rocket Man
Pop-star biopics have become a colossal phenomenon in recent years, and it is no surprise that following the highest-grossing biopic of all time, Bohemian Rhapsody, one was made about the 70’s success story Elton John. Rocketman tells the story of a talented child who wasn’t loved by his parents and who never got over his emotional neglect, ending up with serious substance abuse problems and, yet, a high-paced, reaching-for-the-stars kind of music career. The movie shows how John meets his iconic song-writing partner, lyricist Bernie Taupin, how he magically conquers the American market, how he hides his growing addictions under flamboyant stage gear, and finally, how his life majestically falls apart. The inspiring message of the rise and fall of the rock-music superstar is that in the end, he accepts help, becomes sober and is left still standing.
Rocketman is primarily a coming-of-age movie and a celebrity exposé that quite cleverly uses many a visual film technique available. For instance, a scene where some of John’s stage costumes are shown in a whirlwind of a montage becomes a metaphor for what the singer really feels inside all the sparkle and make-up. The carefully chosen collection of Elton John songs is contextualized with vivid biographical imagery, and the strong audio-visual symbolism of scenes such as one where the title song “Rocket Man” is playing is intricate and captivating. In general, the filming and the staging are somewhat innovative throughout the movie. There are quite smartly built, consistent motifs such as the costumes that reflect hidden inner pain and the pressure of the business, or the musical theme developed from the song “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, a piece that finally finds its climax towards the end of the movie – rightfully so.
Another strong suit of the biopic is successful casting. Child actor Matthew Illesley is simply brilliant as young Elton, and Taron Egerton effortlessly waltzes through the many stages of John’s growing pains. He manages to sing the hits sounding something like Elton John, only with a clear lack of vocal training and a half-baked effort to imitate the tone of John’s voice. The decision to have the cast record all the songs for the musical biopic is a risky one; admittedly, the flow of the movie works better with the cast recordings and this way, it was possible to reach a consistency to the entirety of the film. However, Elton John fans are left to desire more of the actual Elton pieces and to sink to frustration in having to bob their heads to almost-amateur covers.
This brings us to the central problem of the movie: there is not enough of music. The movie is supposed to work as a musical in addition to being a biographical story about Elton John’s life, but the few actual musical scenes leave the audience wanting for more. The focus falls on the plot line and the struggles in the life of the Rocket Man, which unforgivably lead to a neglect of the musical part of the film. If only the music was given a bigger role in it all, the title would have earned the word ‘musical’ in its genre description.
Another distracting detail in the realization of the movie is how John’s struggles and efforts to get better are portrayed. The blame is put on everyone but Elton John himself: on the stereotyped mean manager, on the unloving parents, on the broken business, and on the fake friend. Although John eventually turns his back on all these bad people and decides to attend group therapy to overcome his multiple addictions, he never seems to take any real responsibility for his mistakes nor his behaviour.
All in all, Rocketman is a visually pleasing story of the rise and fall of a 70’s rock-music big shot, and the struggles of an unloved, superbly talented, shy child called Reginald Dwight. The story of the suffering superstar is a relatable and even a powerful one, but due to a lack of emphasis on the diverse musical repertoire of Elton John, the movie does not work well as a musical or as a handout to the Elton fans. In case you want to see what John’s version of his life story is and what kind of judgement he passes on all the people that have been in it, Rocketman is the answer. If you love John’s music and want to celebrate the tunes, stay at home and listen to his albums instead.
Re-viewed is a series of reviews on movies, plays, musicals, music and other cultural products by the eager rewatcher, relistener and rereader, BTSB Editor Elina Virva.
