Every year, Hollywood turns out a handful of biopics about all kinds of individuals whose experiences have had a significant impact throughout history. They are all pretty standard, and while some have been innovative, most fall victim to the usual tropes. Director Dexter Fletcher looks to reinvigorate the genre with his latest film, Rocketman. The filmmaker, who is also helming the film Bohemian Rhapsody about another music icon, Freddie Mercury, will hopefully abandon all the annoying clichés and do something no one is expecting. And from the looks of this new trailer, the story of Elton John will be brought out of the darkness and into the light as a Fantasy Musical, as opposed to a straight-up biopic.
I haven’t been this amped since the actual first time I heard "Rocketman" way back in the day, and it seems that audiences everywhere will be feeling that same game-changing effect that most of Sir Elton John’s song catalog has on people. The uncensored human story will bring audiences back to the icon’s early days and see the legend during his time at the Royal Academy of Music in London before becoming one of the world’s biggest superstars in the 1970s. While singing the titular song, John, played by actor Taron Egerton, actually begins to take flight along with the audience, which is nothing short of an awe-inspiring sight that leaves you with goosebumps just sitting there stunned, wanting more.
.@TaronEgerton stars in #Rocketman, an epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years. Experience it in theatres Summer 2019. pic.twitter.com/fwMMoGxSnb
— Rocketman (@rocketmanmovie) September 28, 2018
The actor has a solid resemblance to the singer and pulls off his signature look with the confidence needed to bring the iconic singer to life. Everyone remembers Egerton having saved the good Sir Elton John from the evil clutches of a mad drug kingpin in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Casting John was definitely no easy task, and the 26-year-old performer was a bold choice for the role. The promo teases Egerton’s mastery of the pop icon’s rock star antics with a scene of him jamming out like a boss at Dodger Stadium. It then quickly pivots to a montage where we see the musician enjoying his rise to success and then plummeting to rock bottom, thoroughly illustrated with the singer lying on a hospital gurney with an oxygen mask attached to his face. For a second, he actually looks like a spaceman about to launch into the stratosphere.
Everyone loves to sing along with John when "Rocket Man" begins to fill the air. The infamous track transcends time flawlessly and still holds up to this day. Now that outstanding song will share the name with what promises to be one heck of a wild ride. Sir Elton John, who is gearing up to release his latest album, Honky Chateau, may have announced that he is close to ending his wild ride and soon be retiring. But have no fear, "Tiny Dancer" fanatics, his early career promises to live on in the true fantasy he himself co-produced with his husband, David Furnish. We are very lucky and appreciative that, as we witness the final moments of a great individual’s career, we also get a glimpse from the man himself of what it was really like to be the Rocket Man.
Rocketman is set to launch into theaters on May 31, 2019.
(Image via Paramount Pictures)
- D.J. Rivera, YH Contributing Writer