This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

ROCKETMAN is so much better than BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY that it’s wild they’re *both* technically considered movies.

The pitch: what if Bohemian Rhapsody was not bad?

I think my boyfriend may be in love with either Taron or Elton I couldn't tell, but he sobbed THE ENTIRE FUCKING MOVIE

bohemian rhapsody found dead

This was just great. I went into it hesitant because ya know...musical biopics. But this was pretty refreshing and did exactly what it needed to do. Wish it went a liiittle further and got a liiittle darker but whatcha gonna do. Elton’s entire downhill spiral was done so well. My mom summed it up pretty well when as soon as we left the theatre she went “Well......fuck Bohemian Rhapsody!”

im gonna strap on this wig, unbutton my top, and show these amateurs exactly why they call me dick madden

rocketman is at its best when embracing its own fantastical ridiculousness, at its worst when mimicking every other music biopic. the saturday night’s alright and honky cat song + dance numbers gave me a very specific elated thrill i hadn’t felt since mamma mia! here we go again. the smash cut of an asshole manager saying “you’ll never be successful!!” to a montage of newspaper headlines touting their success gave me a very specific fatigued apathy i hadn’t felt since bohemian rhapsody.

it’s frustrating how rocketman is so close to being Great, but ultimately deigns to hover around Good. which is still, by definition, Good! :) i’m not gonna act like i haven’t been constantly blasting the soundtrack, even if it’s partly just so i can briefly listen to richard madden sing!!

(but can we at least all agree that the casting of bryce dallas howard as elton’s mom was a weird choice? what the HELL was that)

@ the film industry,
freddie mercury... now elton john. i see that lgbt-icon-rockstar-with-peculiar-teeth trend but unless you cast fucking tilda swinton, i will NOT permit a bowie biopic. in fact, i will 100% shoot a bitch

update: *cocks gun*

that neon scene in the gay club..... god climax (2018) could never

Richard Madden is so hot and Elton John should not get to be a producer on his own biopic

must a movie be good? is it not enough that taron egerton’s thighs are in every shot, huge?

(Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - all the magic) x High School Musical = Rocketman

Biopics risk being a bit dull but this held my attention the whole time. I love how the songs are integrated into the story, and the costumes are gorgeously detailed.

A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's breakthrough years.

i cried the entire fucking time

why do I love this movie so fucking much

70% the way he says cocaine addict in the first scene
20% the way Julian Day went off
10% the way it's wall to wall bops

Super fun and just enjoyable to watch. Taron Egerton should have been at least nominated for actor.

.................better than Bohemian Rhapsody at least

your song will never fail to make me cry, i loved that scene so much

this was extremely well done. i really love the style of the movie. it just fit his persona so well.

It was kinda excelllent. Other than some parts, the screenplay is quite okay. Cinematography was great. Acting was superb (Taron Egerton is a gem and should have gotten an Oscar nomintion).
The songs were lovely and the use of the songs were extremely memorable. Honestly I was surprised that this was a musical. One of the major critiques I have that after certain sequences I forgot this is a musical.
On the whole I was left asking a question: Is imitation tougher or presenting an interpretation of a legend to the world tougher? Well, I still haven't come to an answer. But given an option I would see Rocketman once again.
AM ;)

pretty fun time. very stylish visuals, but obviously, the new tracks don’t measure up to elton john’s originals. the movie’s surprisingly slow paced, with some good character moments and choreography. stylish with not much to unpack under the surface.

Considering ROCKETMAN tells the story of a still-living celebrity who was very much involved with its production, the choices it makes are impressive. This movie shines brightly when it commits to being ambitious and challenging and abstract. Taron Egerton’s performance is tremendous and god knows there's a never-ending reservoir of evocative imagery to reference.

…And yet so often it's weighed down by the tropes of the self-serious biopic. Contrived situations and unnecessary exposition encroach on the bits of the film that are actually provocative and interesting, keeping the story safe and formulaic. It manages to subvert the worst bits of the jukebox musical genre and instead falls into the traps of the boring British biopic.

It feels appropriate in the end that an Elton John profile would sparkle with artistry while still being fundamentally commercial.