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Rocketman

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zico
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Rocketman

#228130

Postby zico » June 9th, 2019, 2:24 pm

5/10. A musical about Elton John's life (up to 1984). Really good at first, then gets boring and repetitive.

Film starts well with a clever and funny opening sequence and then gets inventive, interesting and enjoyable for quite a while following Elton's childhood and adolescene, right up until the point that Elton first breaks through, then it all subsides into a hackneyed storyline of "poor little rich person who can have everything he wants, except true love". Don't go breaking my heart, Elton.

The young Reg Dwight is quite shy and not considered to be front-man material, but they put him on a treadmill and make him change his name. He writes a song for the guy that he's co-writing with, then he gets into drugs, gets high as a kite, overdoses but someone saves his life that night. He wants love, just a different kind, but it seems like it's going to be a long, long time before that happens, and he wonders what he's gotta do to make people love him. It's so sad, just a sad, sad situation. We do see him rolling like thunder under the covers and he can certainly feel the love that night. Elton likes his own way and has trouble apologising for his bad behaviour, as sorry seems to be the hardest word for him.

Film ends on a high (but not a drug-induced one) as he becomes stone cold sober as a matter of fact and inevitably, he's still standing and picking up the pieces of his life.

The story of early Elton is really interesting and comparatively unknown (he used to do covers of several different famous artists), and I feel there's a lot more they could have done with this. He does have a real genius for being able to create new music extremely quickly to any given set of lyrics, and I'd have found this much more interesting then the angry and miserable multi-millionaire that we see for the majority of the film. Taron Egerton is really good as Elton John, but Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin just gives us a succession of poses.

MaraMan
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Re: Rocketman

#228148

Postby MaraMan » June 9th, 2019, 3:10 pm

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed it more than you did it seems, I thought all the central performances were excellent, with a special mention for Stephen Graham as the gruff music publisher Dick James (I'm gonna 'ave a massage :lol: ).

I look forward to seeing it again.....and probably again.

8/10

MM

Mike88
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Re: Rocketman

#228180

Postby Mike88 » June 9th, 2019, 6:43 pm

I hope it was better than Bohemian Rhapsody which left me thoroughly underwhelmed.

PrincessB
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Re: Rocketman

#228190

Postby PrincessB » June 9th, 2019, 8:20 pm

I hope it was better than Bohemian Rhapsody which left me thoroughly underwhelmed.


I was fortunate enough to see Bohemian Rhapsody in a cinema with full on Dolby Atmos and it made the film. As we left #1 Daughter asked if we could have a sound system like that in the house! I saw most of Bohemian Rhapsody again a week or so ago at one of those pop up outdoor sceenings (had to leave early as some other members of the family got chilly) I found it funnier that the first viewing, wearing headphones dented the stonking sound experience though.

I was underwhelmed by 'A Star is Born' which I sort of sat through, if it were on TV, I would have just wandered off, but at least seeing something at the cinema roots you in place unless the film turns out to be so awful you just have to go.

Never been a lover of Elton, so I'll pass on this one.

zico
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Re: Rocketman

#228549

Postby zico » June 11th, 2019, 12:36 am

I preferred Bohemian Rhapsody to Rocketman. Didn't see ' A Star is Born', but Mrs.Zico did and was likewise underwhelmed.

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Re: Rocketman

#228602

Postby terminal7 » June 11th, 2019, 9:57 am

Zico

I have given your review a rec - coz - itsa kinda magic.

T7

mrbrightside
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Re: Rocketman

#228658

Postby mrbrightside » June 11th, 2019, 12:04 pm

zico wrote:A musical about Elton John's life (up to 1984). Really good at first, then gets boring and repetitive.

I also fell for the hype too despite not caring much for the man or his music for that matter. I was similarly underwhelmed but then again as Elton John was an Executive Producer, maybe I shouldn't have been too surprised at this rather jaundiced biopic - why did John Reid remain his manager for 20 years if he was so vile ?

He lived the rock star hedonistic lifestyle with lots of drink and drugs but remained oh so unfulfilled. His mummy and daddy deprived him of hugs as a child.

He ultimately got sober and then lived happy ever after. Yawn.


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