I first saw a trailer for this movie over a year ago and I was kind of skeptical at the idea of a biopic that billed itself as a “true fantasy.” But as I saw the trailer over and over, the idea grew on me. Now that I’ve seen the movie, I see exactly why it needed to be called a true fantasy. The best thing about the movie is the music, of course, but a close second is the performance by Taron Edgerton. There are times when you would swear you were watching Elton John on the screen. I also love the fact that the movie doesn’t fall into the trap of most biopics–presenting almost a checklist of “Important Moments” in the life of the famous person. Instead, this movie presents what I imagine is an essence of Elton John’s life. There are reenactments of important moments in his life but the fantasy elements typically come into play during those moments and I think that breathes life into them in a way that is missing in the standard biopic. Rami Malek won an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury last year. Edgerton is even better as John so I expect he will be a contender for an Oscar this year.
I’ll have to bump this up my list. I was already half sold with Taron Edgerton’s role as “Johnnie” in the animated movie Sing.
