Dreamy, dancy, musical, emotional, theatric, RocketMan is a detox surreal bio pic of Elton John. Taron Egerton plays John with powerful emotion and excess (a theme of the film). His facial expressions are so uncomfortably perfect in the scene where he has to tell his mother that he's not a straight male. Actually, strong acting prevails throughout and careful artistic direction carries the drama always with an element of humor - albeit dark humor at times. The first 20 minutes or so are absolutely masterful in storytelling, acting, scripting, direction and the rest of the film, though not-perfect, hosts several perfect scenes (the pool scene for instance).

The costuming is ridiculously awesome; there will undoubtedly be a nomination in the category. And then, of course, the music. Elton John's music cuts across genre, while it entertains folks from all demographics. The film's score doesn't disappoint, but I found the mix left some of the vocals sounding muddier than I'd like. This may have likely been the error of the theatre where I screened the film. But, I thought it was worth noting. Please let me know how the mix played at your theatre. Other than that, I really appreciated the way filmmakers slowed and creatively unraveled the songs to tell their story.

A powerful film, you'll be entertained and leave the theatre feeling good.

-- Books by Ross Anthony, Author/Illustrator --