Rocketman

Rocketman is, in some ways, a sad reminder that even in its most supposedly fantastic imaginings, Hollywood fantasies can still be so straight.

It's Taron Egerton as Elton John who carries and sells the film -- often backwards and in platform heels. Wild as it may sound to approach such a mercurial and marvelous character with beautiful restraint, Egerton's performance is meticulously calibrated.

Rocketman ramps the camp up to 11, throws on some sequinned spectacles, and sparks fireworks of pure joy in glitzy song-and-dance routines.

Rocketman isn't a sanitised peek-a-boo of someone's life, barely teasing at the surface of a complex creative genius. Rocketman gives you the warts and all version, and it's not going to pink-wash John's sexuality.

Really, on the basis of "Rocketman," you'd think Elton John never had a moment of fun.

Like the Elton John it presents, it's about forgiveness. Love is love is love. Watching so many plume-festooned costumes take wing, you're inclined to believe that hope really is the thing with feathers.

Taron Egerton’s performance, including pitch-perfect singing, is nothing short of miraculous. He’s energetic, egomaniacal, and yet somehow thoroughly worth empathizing with.

The committed performance is something speciala sensitive and frenzied role that reminds us just how fascinating Elton John and his music remains.

While Rocketman follows specific musical bio-pic structures, its choice to turn the sub-genre upside down with its style shows homage to not only the man but his eternal impact on music.

Episode 38: Brightburn / The Perfection / Rocketman