By Robert Yaniz Jr.

A tired genre gets a desperately needed shot in the arm, via the music and life of the iconic Elton John.

THE HYPE

Over the years, musical biopics have become (what’s a step beyond “old hat”?), let’s say, overdone in Hollywood. Following a string of such films as Ray and Walk the Line, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story skewered the genre’s conventions so thoroughly that few such films since have been able to overcome the stigma that comes along with the usual generous helping of narrative cliches. Last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody, for all its financial success and awards wins, was a prime example of the limitations that musical biopics had to overcome. From the ashes of that film’s creative failure, director Dexter Fletcher — who completed filming after Bryan Singer’s firing — ascends with a much different musical biopic in Rocketman.

THE STORY

Rather than just a straight retelling of the early years of rock legend Elton John’s career, Rocketman embraces a fresher approach, effectively reinvigorating its narrative. The film employs a cross-pollination of musical fantasy (think 1979’s All that Jazz) with the more recent phenomenon of jukebox musicals (Rock of Ages, et al.). In doing so, Rocketman uses John’s own music to tell his life story, anachronistically applying iconic songs to key moments in the singer’s life. The result is certainly more of an abstract representation of the truth than a pure recount of how it went down, but this bold creative choice makes for an infectiously moving and thrilling experience, especially considering the genre.

THE CAST

For his lead, Fletcher reunited with his Eddie the Eagle star Taron Egerton. Although we knew he could handle John’s music (don’t pretend you didn’t see Sing like the rest of us), the young actor that has headlined two Kingsman films didn’t seem like an obvious choice. Sure, he briefly shared the screen with John himself in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. But could Egerton bring the presence and pathos necessary to nail John’s distinctive stage persona and personal struggles? Absolutely. In fact, Egerton’s work is so transformative that he deserves to be the frontrunner for Best Actor when awards season rolls around. Jamie Bell and Richard Madden lend solid support — the latter is saddled with an underwritten role, however — but Rocketman boils down to a one-man show, and Egerton rises to the challenge.

THE PRODUCTION

The weight of the aforementioned narrative style cannot be understated. Fletcher’s willingness to make bold decisions (such as featuring a duet between adult John and himself as a young boy in one of the most powerful numbers) sets Rocketman apart from the more banal take on John’s life that might have been. This dreamlike quality creates an experience more akin to living in John’s headspace than watching a film about his life. Screenwriter Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) asks us not always to sympathize with John’s behavior and decisions but to empathize with him. Rocketman passes no judgment on John but provides some much-needed insight into the “why” behind the trajectory of his life.

THE VERDICT

As unbelievable as it sounds, Rocketman is the finest example in years of the magic a musical biopic can capture when it steps outside the genre’s slavish formula. Much of its success is owed to Egerton’s tour-de-force performance — both in terms of his acting and vocal ability — but the true standout is the storytelling style at work here. Rocketman isn’t just for John’s hardcore fanbase but should be used as inspiration for how to breathe new life into a genre teetering on the very edge of obsolescence.

Rocketman stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Gemma Jones and Bryce Dallas and is directed by Dexter Fletcher.