Rocketman - Who's going see it? (HIDDEN Spoilers only, Please.)

[Imzadi]

A little FYI:

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In the toolbar, click on the 3 dots to the right of the Smilies button. In the drop down menu, click on Spoiler. Add a title, if you want, then click to get to the next screen. Do NOT move your cursor. It will be in the right position between all the coding to just start typing your Spoiler or Reply to the Spoiler.

 

[Imzadi]

Very minor spoiler:

Spoiler

That song isn’t in the movie. Many of the great ones aren’t except in very brief, instrumental snatches - talking like 3 or 4 chords on the piano. I was disappointed not to hear Daniel, Candle in the Wind and Nekita.

Spoiler: Another reply to Spoiler above

I was disappointed too. Especially as they already established that they aren't going chronologically with the songs.

In fact, the first 45 min, except for a few bars of familiar pop tunes, there wasn't ANY songs I recognized. I know because I looked at my watch when they FINALLY played some songs I knew, not just a few bars. I suppose they are the songs from the old albums that a couple previous posters mentioned. But, if they weren't going to be chronological anyway, then play some popular songs I actually know, earlier on!

 

[Imzadi]

I love his music and went in with high anticipation and was disappointed, I think if I had known that it was a musical, i would've gone in with different expectations.

I'm not sure hearing it was a "musical" would have made a difference. I saw interviews with both Elton John & Taron saying the movie was a musical and I still didn't know what that quite meant. I even knew there was some fantasy sequences in the movie. I just thought it was a movie with music. Lots of music so it was a musical movie, not that it was a "musical" in style.

I *think* the misunderstanding comes from the fact that we all heard it's a movie about Elton John's life, played by Taron Egerton. So, I thought that meant we'd watch the Elton character perform the songs he wrote. And some of them would be performed in a fantasy style fashion. And/or he'd reminisce about some songs in a fantasy fashion.

NOT that Elton would BURST INTO SONG with his songs "musical" style, as he did.

 

[elgerber]

I guess I am in the minority, I LOVED it! Dd and dh did too. I loved every minute of it, loved that it was a musical and LOVED Taron Egerton.

 

[AustinTink]

So is this film more along the lines of Moulin Rouge, with the amount of scenes set to musical numbers?

 

[ronandannette]

Spoiler: Reply to Spoiler with a Spoiler

Actually it is. It's when Elton got married. He and his wife split the song and sung it as a duet.

Some of the numbers almost felt more like dialogue than music. That must have been the case here - I didn't even remember hearing it.

I guess I am in the minority, I LOVED it! Dd and dh did too. I loved every minute of it, loved that it was a musical and LOVED Taron Egerton.

Not alone though - I loved it too. The reviews have been pretty positive. I wonder how it's doing at the box office? We went to an early show on opening night and the theater was not full. Granted they were running it on several screens and have multiple shows a day but still I was a little surprised.

 

[okeydokey]

I loved, loved, loved it. They said in advance it was a musical fantasy and it was in the very best ways. They wove in the musical performances to highlight and explore what was happening in Elton’s life at that moment. It was also raw and emotional, and sad and finally uplifting. It was a much truer movie than Bohemian Rhosody was, which was over controlled by the remaining members of the band to show themselves in a sanitized light.

 

[okeydokey]

So is this film more along the lines of Moulin Rouge, with the amount of scenes set to musical numbers?

Yes, they use the music in the same way, with the actors actually singing themselves.

 

[wenrob]

I loved, loved, loved it. They said in advance it was a musical fantasy and it was in the very best ways. They wove in the musical performances to highlight and explore what was happening in Elton’s life at that moment. It was also raw and emotional, and sad and finally uplifting. It was a much truer movie than Bohemian Rhosody was, which was over controlled by the remaining members of the band to show themselves in a sanitized light.

I never heard a word about it being a musical fantasy. I was genuinely surprised by it. Honestly I wouldn’t have gone had I known because musicals just grate on my last nerve. I *did* enjoy the story though and I thought Taron Egerton absolutely nailed the performance.

For me I’ll be a little gun shy on the next life story of a rock star. Both Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman just came across as more about trying to outdo other movies about rock stars. That makes them feel inauthentic IMO. Just tell me the story the way it happened. I don’t need pomp and circumstance just maybe a really great soundtrack.

 

[Imzadi]

So is this film more along the lines of Moulin Rouge, with the amount of scenes set to musical numbers?

Yes. Many songs have a lot of background singers & dancers like in Lady Marmalade. "Your Song," is in both movies.

 

[moon]

I wonder how it's doing at the box office? We went to an early show on opening night and the theater was not full. Granted they were running it on several screens and have multiple shows a day but still I was a little surprised.

I read that it earned 25 million on its opening weekend. That was less than half of what BoRhap did. I have the feeling that it will drop more this weekend. BoRhap attracted a great deal of families and kids who will avoid Rockerman's dark themes and R rating

 

[AustinTink]

"Your Song," is in both movies.

So true!

 

[AustinTink]

I'm going tonight and taking my husband. I hope he doesn't complain too much.

 

[elgerber]

I read that it earned 25 million on its opening weekend. That was less than half of what BoRhap did. I have the feeling that it will drop more this weekend. BoRhap attracted a great deal of families and kids who will avoid Rockerman's dark themes and R rating

That was higher than expectations though, and critics ratings are much higher than Bohemian Rhapsody, so it's hard to say how it will do overall. I

 

[AustinTink]

I liked it. It was overwhelmingly sad throughout and I teared up a couple of times. Taron was fine but he's no Rami Malek. I know I shouldn't compare them. It's hard not to. Overall, I'm glad I saw it in the theater but it's not one I will watch over and over again once it's on cable.

 

[E&Cmom]

I loved it as did DH. I do love musicals though.

 

[Imzadi]

For those still trying to figure out what we mean by Rocketman is a musical, this clip by James Corden on the Late, Late Show, is similar. Only Rocketman has all Elton John songs, of course. And there is some dialogue in between the songs. So, it's less about Elton performing the songs in concert than his character uses the songs as part of the story.

 

[ronandannette]

For those still trying to figure out what we mean by Rocketman is a musical, this clip by James Corden on the Late, Late Show, is similar. Only Rocketman has all Elton John songs, of course. And there is some dialogue in between the songs. So, it's less about Elton performing the songs in concert than his character uses the songs as part of the story.

Exactly! Not what I was expecting at all but it was brilliant.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Anyone else also going to see it?

I definitely want to see it. Whether we make time to go to the theater or wait for it to come out on cable is still up in the air.

I would love to watch it, but would love it even more if I knew that it was age appropriate for my 10 yr old...

This site:
https://kids-in-mind.com/

breaks down the ratings into categories, so you know what specific type the "adult" content is. - Rocketman is there if you scroll down just a bit. It got a 7-4-7 (so mostly sex and language, not so much violence/gore.)

The site also mentions things in movies that you wouldn't necessary think of but that might bother certain kids (like the death of a pet when theirs just died...that sort of thing.) I used it a lot when DS was younger. Sometimes I took it with a grain of salt - it was a little more "worried" than I was about certain things. But it was a good place to start.

I always wanted to see Elton John and Billy Joel play back to back baby grands.

That was the . best . show!!! I was never a big concert-goer, but I saw a few after I moved here, and that was by far my favorite!

Me, I'm now anticipating my next musical movie, premiering at the end of the month: Yesterday. It's about a man who wakes up in a world where no one knows about or has ever heard a Beatles song.

I so want to see that one!

 

[Disney Hippie]

I am planning on seeing it once teaching school is out if it is still in the theaters which I imagine it will be.