 |
| © Imdb |
This biopic about gay singer Elton John was a true surprise! I really did not expect it to hold my attention, but it is truly a spellbinding film. Taron Egerton as the lead is absolutely mesmerising to watch. And he sings better than Elton John himself, as impressively demonstrated in the credits song! He gives a brave, confident and deeply emotional performance, making the struggles and traumata of his character tangible for any audience. You would have to be made of stone to not be moved by his portrayal of a man drowning in desperation and loneliness amid all the wealth and splendour, yet unable to stop and find a way out to protect his life and sanity. I think there is something in here that everyone can relate to. Anyway, definitely a landmark performance by Taron. Exceptional. He also has a good cast at his side. Jamie Bell as his faithful friend, who has to stand helplessly by and watch the downward spiral carrying his friend away; Richard Madden as the slick and calculating manager with no reservations about destroying his employer in the process of making money; the unfeeling parents, the vapid fans... Everything is held together by an excellent, snappy script. They clearly invested money in the right places here.
At first I was a bit startled by the musical numbers, unfolding like dream sequences throughout the film, but I quickly grew to enjoy them. The music is, after all, a huge part of who Elton John is. Also, it’s, quite frankly, a pleasure to listen to a skilful and talented singer like Taron reinterpret all those songs that we know so well.
Visually, this had a lot to offer, too, and I don’t mean just the flippy, colourful show costumes. They did very well on the period wardrobes and set dressings and the colour palette was expertly chosen and used as a way to tell the story. Make-up on Taron was impressive as well. Only the hair was a bit too ugly – it looked unreal at times. Finally, the editing contributed to tying this whole production together into a journey that you won’t want to miss a moment of, setting exactly the right pace.
Really the only issue I had was this: What is the message of the film? “Be who you are, but make sure you know who that is.”??
So, all in all – even though I’m not an Elton John fan and this movie hasn’t made me into one, either - an easy 4/5. A truly mesmerising film. I just hope that the pain and suffering depicted as exaggerated for the screen...
No comments:
Post a Comment