ROCKETMAN is everything BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY should’ve been -- but decidedly wasn’t
Last year, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY rocked us as the QUEEN biopic we all waited for --for some. The Singer-directed project drew in droves of people who wanted to reminisce without being too uncomfortable. The story was told to us straight-up (literally) without any sort of experimental vibes; just story and acting and music, which was karaoke’d.
ROCKETMAN is decidedly not that film. It has experimentalism, original covers and arrangements of Elton John’s oeuvre, and a beautiful queerness that navigates John’s life—since ultimately, his queerness and addiction did navigate it. Terry Eagleton is brilliant as John -- even his voice is resoundingly similar. The costumes are phenomenal, the music is beautiful, even the choreography and drug abuse is beautiful. What sticks out most in this film, what I loved most, is that it reminded us why this must’ve been a film: the magic of memory.
There are scenes where the young Dwight sings with the present Elton, there are scenes when Elton flies to the moon, there are scenes when he dreams himself into an orgy. These (some of these) are things we’d never be able to do or see in real-life, of course; and that is exactly why we should do it for ROCKETMAN. Unlike RHAPSODY, which was told to us in a straightforward traditional plot, ROCKETMAN is a flashback and rumination from the now-sober John about his life. As such, it is colored and presented with that color and spice.
The truth is Terry Eagleton is brilliant as John and the story of Elton John is brilliant. You should see it for those two reasons. But more than that, this film is constructed so that we are reminded how beautiful filmmaking can be—what it provides as an art; something BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY surely and decidedly lacked. Watch this film if for no other reason than Brian fucking Singer didn’t direct it and there’s an actual gay narrative that doesn’t skid around the bush and result in lead actors saying things like “he didn’t define himself, so I don’t know that I’d call him gay” (yes Rami really said this).
Only time can tell if the film will live up to the RHAPSODY love; I suspect it will not. I suspect it will be forgotten, as often experimental and queer films are. Nonetheless, the film is beautiful and a beautiful testament to the life of one of the greatest rock-and-rollers of all time.









