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rocketman | 2019


Rocketman (& why is it different from Bohemian Rhapsody). These past weeks all I could hear about this movie was the comparison with what we had seen in Bohemian Rhapsody. There has been a debate on which one is better, the realistic and intimist Rocketman, with no censored scenes on drugs and sex, or the grandiose and spectacular Bohemian Rhapsody w, Taron vs Rami, imitation vs inspiration, etc. 

And yes, the biopic film based on the life of Elton John's life is definitely different from Bohemian Rhapsody, because it is a musical with all its letters. It reminds me of the West End and Broadway musicals because the songs from Elton John, sang by Taron Egerton, are the ones that flow and lead the plot and help to understand the feelings from that kid, called Regiland Dwigh to the creation of the music star Elton Hercules John and its descent to the "underworld". 

Egerton delivers a great performance - imitating Elton in the musical numbers but most importantly focusing on the feelings and nature or character during the whole film - portraying the story of a man that even though became a music star, also fell apart because of the drugs, alcohol and sex addiction. We can also see the influence of his manager, John Reid, who took advantage of Elton's trust (and also his homosexuality) for his own interests and didn't care to take Elton of the loop of drugs and sex he was on. 

Rocketman is like a memoirs book from Elton itself but instead of writing a book, he chose a musical to explain his life long experiences. That's why some of the musical numbers are marvelous, big and choreographed, and others are intimist, small, with only Elton (Egerton) and his piano, because his life had his (very) ups and (very) downs. Compared to Bohemian Rhapsody, this last film was a biopic, but more like a tribute to Queen and Freddie. They took Freddie's tragical story and showed the audience the greatest hits from Queen with a great cast and a great acting/imitation, especially from Rami Malek.

In summary, then, my point is that Rocketman is a great musical based on the life and experices from a great musician, really worth watching. 


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