Marval Movie

There is a difference between listening to an album and a greatest hits collection. An album has an idea in-mind that informs the other songs and in some cases there even a journey to be taken by listening to the whole things in order. Take for example Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars, or LOGIC Everybody. Greatest hits are just the gems, they are great listens but the whole experience is a little disjointed. ROCKETMAN, about the man and the music of Elton John, is more like a greatest hits.

Opening the movie is a hallway and emerging the door at the end is a figure backlit by heavenly light. He is dressed in a shiny, flamboyant devil costume. He marches through the hallway and enters a room where other people are sitting in a circle, he lists off his troubles, drug addict, sex addict, alcoholic, and shopaholic. He's here because he wants to get better and begins by recounting his early childhood, this sequence is segwayed by the song The Bitch is Dead (rather bitter and tasteless).

For the song sequences themselves, they are some truly out-there imagery, this movie is not interested in having the songs play over footage that is meant to a representative of the true events, they want to stylistically express it. They are beautiful, having some characters float, or go on for long uninterrupted shots and some cool things going on with the lights, these are some entertaining and stylish music videos that are inserted into the narrative.

Targon Egerton has been gathering a wide range of projects under his belt and has shown great confidence, panache in his roles, here, as well as embodying a rockstar he also provides his own singing voice to the songs. the actor

For the other characters surrounding him during his childhood he was raised by his mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) who was never the most interested in him or his needs as long as he isn't a bother, his grandmother (Gemma Jones) who by contrast does indeed fill him with love, attention, and encouragement, his father (Steven Mackintosh) who is a void of any kind of feelings towards him at all. When he breaks out into the world he discovers Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) who's a lyricist and a kindred spirit, he writes the lyrics, Elton writes the music and what a team they make! Later his path crosses with John Reid (Richard Madden) a smooth-talking, suit-wearing, talk dark and handsome entity that promises John the big time.

Just so everyone knows writing and recording a song is a lot of work and takes a very long time. From the multiple drafts of the lyrics to putting down the core music to then recording the song in its entirety (of which they do multiple times to get it right), then finally producing it in the studio. A full album takes about nine months from start to finish. These biopics would have you believe that you need to be born special, have something of significance happen to you then the song is busted out fully formed like Santas present under the tree.

What we have is a movie about a man that started, sang, got into drugs and alcohol, hit rock bottom and then bounced back, but what story are they really telling? It all seems like it's a string of events that happen, songs are played and it ends, so what.

There has got to be a better and more unique way to end a movie about a real persons life than wih black cards (maybe accompanied by pictures) with text about how they're life turned out after the movie ends.

On a personal gripe, why wasnt Are You Ready For Love in this soundtrack? Thats my favorite Elton John song and I was quite disapointed with it being left out.

In terms of watching each musical number as a music video or listening to the tracks ceperately then that is probably a fine enough experience. Though when it comes to sitting down and listening to the peice as a whole then I would say listen to albums and a find a better movie than this.

Rating: 2 stars out of 4