Rocketman

When the first musical number in "Rocketman" hit, I sat there confused and just a bit excited. It's tough to muster excitement for another music biopic, when even the genre itself seems tired of its staid ways. But with those first few lines of "The Bitch is Back," it became evident that this biopic would make itself different in one big way: By being an actual musical.

Outside of stylistic choices, "Rocketman" is largely the story of how Elton John came to be and the career that followed. Beginning in 1950s London, it sees young Reginald Dwight discovering his preternatural ability on the piano and deciding on a life that centered around the keys. It follows Dwight as he becomes John, and the numerous ups and downs of an international career.

While "Rocketman" is abreast with flourishes that look to establish it as stylistically unique (once you sort through the sheets of brightly colored fabric and pounds of sequins), it rides on a skeleton of mediocrity. Its musical segments are well choreographed and shot with purpose, but they are mere distractions, because apparently no matter what a music biopic wants to do, it has to hit its standard beats. You'll see multiple tropes on full display in "Rocketman": emotionally distant father, record executive that insists on changes, a pit of drugs and sex, loss of all friends, and then, through the power of music, it all works out.

This mixture of showstopping musical numbers and rote adherence to the Music Biopic 101 syllabus leaves the film feeling terribly disjointed. It's hopelessly frustrating, because Taron Egerton is leaving everything on the field. Egerton not only imbues his performance with wonderful nuance, when a lazily hamfisted approach is just itching to be used, but his vocal performance is absolutely astounding. Egerton deserves to be in a better movie, and he is the primary reason why "Rocketman" is able to work at all.

The Blu-ray (and 4K) release are acutely aware of the film's strengths, and rightfully focuses on Egerton and the musical numbers. There are extended musical numbers, a featurette on the numbers themselves, a lyric companion setting that turns the numbers into karaoke fodder, and something called "Rocketman Juke Box" that cuts to the chase and lets you watch only the numbers. Adding to these are multiple featurettes focused on Elton and Egerton, both separately and together (and yes, they are both a pleasure). So even though "Rocketman" itself is nothing exceptional cinematically, its media release is robust, interesting, and delightfully entertaining.

"Rocketman"
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
$27.96
https://www.paramountmovies.com/movies/rocketman