POSITIVES…
Taron Egerton is amazing as Elton John, and does a wonderful job singing the songs. There are even times I thought it was Elton John on screen, but it’s all Taron.
As a musical biopic, it sidesteps the plot trappings of the genre, by embracing a very imaginative and energetic visual narrative that will surely keep grabbing your attention from beginning until the end.
Watching Elton John’s biographical story unfold in this way; liberties taken here and there, is fantastic, and probably an eye opener for many people who aren’t that familiar with his background history.
While the story is mostly focused on Elton John; which means that the supporting cast are really mostly in supporting roles, the movie incredibly still manages to give each one of them a strong presence in the narrative.
Speaking of supporting casts, the scenes involving Elton John and Bernie Taupin; played by Jamie Bell, are definite highlights of this film.
From the costumes, the locations, the scene transitions, to the dance numbers, I really couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
I feel like I have to emphasize this, but this is a musical through and through. You don’t often see this kind of narrative in cinema much anymore.
NEGATIVES…
This is a musical through and through, which means that there will be people that just won’t connect with it.
There are some fanciful and whimsical stylistic touches in some of the plot narrative that might frustrate people looking for a traditionally told movie.
The last act did feel like it lost a little bit of its footing, into properly hitting the conclusion of the film.
While there are a lot of Elton John songs in the movie, I’m disappointed that for the majority of the time they are not performed in full during the segments that they are found in.
Some people might also get annoyed at the fact the songs are not done in chronological order with this movie.
It’s still a musical biopic, so the story can only get so fresh and creative to avoid those derivative feelings.
P.S….
lovedit ENJOYED IT likedititsokayitsmehitsterrible
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