CANNES, France (CelebrityAccess) The Cannes Film Festival saw the world premiere of the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” and it appears to be a big hit, with the crowd rising to its feet after the viewing.
The movie was even called “fantastic” by the objective Rotten Tomatoes, which compiled 22 reviews and is continuing to update them as they come in. Here are just a few:
“Thrilling, intoxicating.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“An incredible feast for the eyes.” – Halina Watts, The Daily Mirror
“It’s a biopic and a jukebox musical and a romance, and also a movie about addiction, all crammed into a frenetic, jewel-studded ecstasy of a movie.” – Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
“A rousing and emotional affair with an operatic sweep.” – Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent
“Rocketman is shameless in its ambitions…the overkill, and the narrative predictability, eventually just becomes overwhelming.” – Tim Grierson, Screen International
“Rocketman is a hugely exhilarating picture…an intoxicating musical.” – Brian Viner, Daily Mail
“Rocketman is a turbo-charged rock fantasia that pushes hard against the boundaries of the medium.” – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
“An old fashioned musical with superb songs and goosebump-inducing acting.” – Dan Wooton, The Sun
“Rousingly good natured… Rocketman is a sucrose-enriched biopic-slash-jukebox-musical hybrid.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“It’s all grand and fun and corny, a musical fantasy that reaches for the sky and gets there often enough to make it diverting but also frustrating.” – Steve Pond, The Wrap
“Rocketman is an out and out musical, full of sensationally choreographed numbers.” – David Sexton, London Evening Standard
“Taron Egerton excels as Elton to the point he seems to become him…bringing new life to classics like ‘Your Song’ and ‘I’m Still Standing.’” – Dan Wooton, The Sun
“Taron has perfected the portrayal of Elton…[he] is an incredible screen force with endless charisma and charm.” – Halina Watts, The Daily Mirror
“He does a fine job that isn’t an imitation. (If it were, it wouldn’t be a good one – he does the songs well without capturing the specific tone of Elton’s voice.)” – Steve Pond, The Wrap
“Not only does he have Elton’s look and mannerisms down to an uncanny degree, he also taps into his signature showmanship to give a performance that’s as at peace with its own preposterousness as, say, Jane Russell’s in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“I felt he never quite delivers John’s woundedness when those he loved let him down…I found myself wondering what Bell would have been like in the role.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“He’s brilliant, an electrifying presence. Helpfully, he can really sing, too.” – John Nugent, Empire Magazine
“He doesn’t disappear into the role, exactly, but he accomplishes something nearly as remarkable, which is to locate subtle depths of feeling in a character we first see wearing a devil-horned chicken costume.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
“Egerton occasionally veers into a goofy caricature just a few shades shy of Austin Powers.” – Eric Kohn, IndieWire
“One of the most memorable is Elton’s first performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles – a set so full of emotion and energy that the audience takes off.” – Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent
“When Elton first performs ‘Crocodile Rock’…it induces a mass levitation in the audience, and I could swear I felt myself rising an inch or two out of my cinema seat.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“Rocketman’s fantasy elements elevate it further – the underwater sequence during the title song following Elton’s desperate suicide attempt somehow becomes beautiful, with astounding choreography.” – Dan Wooton, The Sun
h/t Rotten Tomatoes
