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TGM
06-05-2019, 03:47 PM
ROCKETMAN

Director: Dexter Fletcher

imdb (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2066051/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1)

TGM
06-05-2019, 03:51 PM
I'm a bit torn on this one. While watching it, I can't say that I was exactly enjoying it all too much. However, in hindsight thinking back on it, the movie actually does do quite a bit that I'm able to appreciate, and which makes me respect it a lot more than I may initially have.

Unlike some other recent musical biopics where most of the musical numbers come in the form of performances on the stage, this one is indeed a full on musical, where scenes will stop as the characters break out into song and dance, all to the tunes of Elton John. And it's also a deep dive into the demons that have haunted Elton throughout his life, as the movie really is the equivalent of sitting in on a therapy session with him. This element is even literalized as the framing device of the movie, which is quite cleverly executed over the course of the movie, as he gradually removes his over-the-top attire and strips down to the human who had been hiding away underneath for so long, before he can finally confront his issues head on.

On the one hand, I can't help but feel like these "jukebox" style musicals that utilize pre-existing songs for their numbers never quite work for me. The songs clearly weren't meant to be performed in this manner, and the way the lyrics were written weren't intended to be translated in this presentation either. In a traditional musical where the songs were written specifically for this particular show, the lyrics help tell the story in a more naturally narrative manner that really flows and is easy to keep up with. But when dealing with lyrics of a more poetic manner, it sorta feels more like the movie's stopping cold to show us a quick music video as opposed to furthering the story through its music, which oftentimes just feels really awkward. I had this same issue with Across the Universe and Tommy and other musicals of that ilk.

However, the issue of using pre-existing songs in a musical never seem to bother me when used in the manner of merely seeing them performed on stage, such as in movies like Jersey Boys or Bohemian Rhapsody. And in fact, the only musical numbers in this film that really even worked for me personally were the handful that were indeed just that, showcasing Elton on stage performing the songs to the crowd. So I can appreciate the movie's attempt at trying to make a more traditional musical, but I still can't help but feel this route doesn't quite work.

That said, I do love the direction the movie attempted all the same, utilizing the musical genre to really explore Elton's past traumas and shine a light on them, gradually painting more and more of a grim image hidden away in all the flamboyance. But in contrast, we see how these traumas lead to him becoming the man he would become, abandoning his identity and adopting the much more loud and colorful persona that would take the world by storm, and escaping into the fantasy world of his music, and later on, in his drug abuse, showcased through the musical numbers often playing out with a bit of a fantasy element surrounding them.

Taron Edgerton also gives a great performance, though I can't say that he disappears into the role and truly BECOMES Elton John in the same manner that I felt was the case for Rami Malek and Freddie Mercury (other than perhaps his singing voice, which is just marvelous).

All that said though, while I appreciate what the movie did and have grown to appreciate the movie on the whole more in reflection (almost fitting, considering the subject of reflection in the movie itself), it's one that I can't say I have much desire to revisit again anytime soon. I have to reiterate how much I don't think jukebox musicals really work, they're often boring and tedious despite their other glowing aspect, and it's this aspect that initially put me off to the movie and made me dismissive. The music was written for a different format, which is made very evident in movies such as this. But I am glad that the film exists, and I would say it's worth checking out all the same. Just another example of a movie that was ALMOST for me, but didn't quite hit the mark. If this were a more traditional non-jukebox musical with original songs that were specifically written with the movie in mind though, covering the same subject matter, I'd probably be all about this movie.

Lazlo
06-06-2019, 02:50 PM
This is all really well put and I agree with much of it. I think I was less bothered by the lyrics being unrelated to the story because of how the numbers were staged and the mood of the songs was applied to the story beat at hand.

I really appreciate how experiential and not beat-for-beat literal the movie was, really trying mostly to get you into John's headspace rather than regurgitate his Wikipedia page as too often happens in these music biopics. John losing his sense of time and place from the drugs and exhaustion was put across so satisfyingly. The framing device was also well deployed and the creativity in the music scenes, especially "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting," "Rocket Man," and "Crocodile Rock," was often thrilling. I was so ready to hate this movie after Bohemian Rhapsody, Straight Outta Compton, and others, but I was highly entertained!

One of these days people will resist the urge to do the slide show of further achievements, though. Kind of slams on the brakes in a bummer way in this one.

Peng
07-13-2019, 10:59 AM
Peaked way too early with "Your Song" and "Crocodile Rock" sequences, two ends of musical staging spectrum that are both superbly realized (one overwhelmingly tender and realistic, the other a grand and fantastical showcase of a performer's presence). The rest of musical sequences are earnest but too messy to help paper over the tired biopic checkpoints; I guess at least it barely sinks to Walk Hard territory like Bohemian Rhapsody does on a regular basis. Taron Egerton, on the other hand, is marvelous throughout.

Grouchy
08-18-2019, 05:00 PM
I stand in complete disagreement with [ETM]. I enjoyed the musical numbers and hated the movie around them. It's standard biopic fluff but with a pretentious twist that has Elton guide us through his life in what appears to be an AA meeting combined with therapy. Dexter Fletcher is a great visual director which accounts for the musical numbers being good, and there's a gay sex scene that's surprisingly frank and explicit for a Hollywood picture like this, but the bulk of the movie is Psychology 101 and the expliciteness of the expository dialogue has reached new lows between this and Bohemian.

Also, there's something that weirds me out a little about a millionaire like Elton John producing a million-dollar biography about how he overcame his flaws and troubles. I have nothing against John and I enjoy the hell out of his music, and I also realize that his music itself has been autobiographical, but I think it just seems weird to me that anyone in the world can finance an ego project like that with a straight face.

TGM
08-20-2019, 12:30 AM
Did you just confuse me for [ETM]? >.>

Grouchy
08-20-2019, 02:18 AM
Hahah yeah sorry, no slight intended.