Rocketman (2019)

The true-life story of one of the twentieth century's greatest musical geniuses, Elton John, told as a brilliant musical, this film provides incredible insight into the man behind the music.

The film opens with Elton John (Taron Egerton) checking himself into a rehab facility in the 1990s, seeking help for his many addictions: alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, sex, bulimia and anger management issues, to name just a few.

Within the context of a group therapy session, he tells the whole story of his life to the group - and consequently to us the audience - beginning right at the beginning.

As a young boy, Reginald Dwight (Matthew Illesley) shows an incredible aptitude for playing the piano, despite never having studied music or taken lessons on the instrument. His mother (Bryce Dallas Howard) organises piano lessons for him, and he grows in leaps and bounds in his ability.

At the age of eleven, Reggie (now played by Kit Connor) is encouraged to apply for a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He is accepted into the academy, and by the time he is grown up, he is playing at local venues - mainly in bars - and wowing audiences.

Young Reginald Dwight (Matthew Illesley) conducting an imaginary orchestra.

It isn't long before he attracts the attention of a record company, and executive Dick James (Stephen Graham) gives him a record contract, including a tour that begins in the United States, and ends up going worldwide.

By this time, he goes by the name Elton John - mainly to distance himself from his largely absent father, who never showed him any love at all - and collaborates on all his songs. You see, while he is an amazing pianist and singer, he cannot write lyrics. He is paired with writer Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell), a partnership that fans of Elton John will be aware still exists to this day, despite the fact they have never written a song in the same room together.

There is a lot more to the story than what I am telling here, including a mostly secret affair with his manager, John Reid (Richard Madden) and a marriage of convenience to his recording engineer Renate (Celinde Schoenmaker), and of course many many performances and concerts, interspersed with sinking further and further into depression, isolation and addiction.

The screenplay, by Lee Hall, is absolutely wonderful, telling the story of Elton John's rise to fame and his monumental fall from grace, all told through the lens of his many musical hits. Almost all of his greatest hits are used throughout the film, the lyrics taking on all new meanings as they are aligned to particular points in his life (of course, this part of the story is purely fiction, as Bernie Taupin wrote all his lyrics completely separate from Elton John, so the songs are if anything personal to Taupin rather than John).

Elton John (Taron Egerton) in the recording studio, recording his first album.

The film functions as a musical, with characters breaking into song at numerous points. And it isn't just Egerton (as Elton John) who sings the songs either; almost every character has a chance to sing a line at some point. There are several anachronistic moments throughout, as characters sing songs that were technically not written at the time they are supposed to be singing them, but if you can suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours and just enjoy the spectacle, it isn't really anything you need to be worried about. The film (or musical) even has the requisite 'I Want' song (at only 17 minutes in) and, as fans might expect, the song is 'I Want Love' (see, the words 'I Want' are right there!).

Matthew Margeson's score is interspersed with the songs in a way that makes the whole film feel like one continuous piece of music. His composition is so clever in this respect, so much as to almost become unnoticeable.

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that one of the greatest parts of this film - aside from the wonderful music - is Julian Day's costume design. All of Egerton's outfits are beautifully reminiscent of Elton John's unique style and dress sense, in a way that just makes his portrayal all the more real and authentic.

Adam Murray's choreography also makes everything seem even more real, with the concert performances all looking just like the real events, and the occasional large-scale production numbers providing the icing on the cake and lifting the story out of reality at just the right moments.

John Reid (Richard Madden) and Elton John (Taron Egerton).

The performances of the cast are absolutely sublime, in particular Taron Egerton's portrayal of Elton John. Egerton is virtually unrecognisable as himself, especially if you've seen any of his previous work; he truly is Elton here. And if you're wondering, yes, he does really play the piano in the film (quite well, I might add) and it really is his voice singing all the songs, and replicating Elton John's voice and mannerisms exquisitely.

This film is guaranteed to make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you in awe of Elton John's talent as a composer and performer. Pay close attention to the scene where he auditions for the Royal Academy of Music to see what I mean; he plays Mozart's Turkish March on the piano, having only ever heard it the once, and never seen the score.

Director Dexter Fletcher has made an absolutely beautiful film, with plenty of emotional highs and lows. This is one of the few films I have seen on the big screen that I would happily pay the admission price to see again. If you are a fan of Elton John - or even someone who has liked just one of his songs - I strongly suggest you see this film; it is truly magnificent, and sure to win all sorts of awards and accolades.

10 out of 10.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

The true-life story of one of the biggest bands in history, this film is truly a spectacle to behold.

Young British immigrant Farrokh Bulsara (Rami Malek) follows a small pub band with an almost religious fanaticism; he wants to be a part of what they have.

So when the lead singer of the band quits after a gig one night, Farrokh (who starts going by the name Freddie, much to the chagrin of his parents, who believe he is turning his back on his heritage) simply tells the band he is their new singer.

And so, together with Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) - and additional band member John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) - Freddie begins his singing 'career', changing his name legally to Freddie Mercury.

Signed by EMI after an all-night recording session, the band - now known as Queen - are off on a whirlwind tour of the United States, and of course, the rest is history.

The realism of this film is absolutely incredible. In particular, the prosthetic work done on lead actor Malek to transform him into quite a reasonable likeness of the late, great Freddie Mercury is astounding.

The screenplay by Anthony McCarten is well-written, with wonderfully-drawn characters. Of course, with a film such as this based on real events - and most of which from not that long ago in history - the filmmakers have many of the real people still at their disposal.

In fact, the real-life Brian May and Roger Taylor even served as executive music producers on the film.

Speaking of music, the music in the film is - as you would expect - one of the highlights of the film itself. Consisting entirely of some of Queen's biggest hits - there is almost no score to speak of - it will have you tapping your toes and singing along at every turn (provided you know the songs, that is).

However, the music isn't the only wonderful thing about this film. I believe that the production design (by Aaron Haye) and costume design (by Julian Day) are equally as well-executed. Taking the audience back to the 1970s, and doing it with complete authenticity, both of these elements work their magic beautifully. In fact, these are both so realistic, it feels as though one is watching a documentary.

Another area where this film truly shines is in the cinematography. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel has done an amazing job, with some wonderfully unique camera angles, and clever use of both light and darkness to convey the necessary mood throughout.

But without a doubt, the absolute best part of this film is the performance of Rami Malek. His transformation into Freddie Mercury is absolutely flawless. He has it all down: the walk, the voice, the gestures, the whole shebang. Don't just take my word for it; he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2018 Oscars, and was well-deserving of this honour in my opinion.

Director Bryan Singer has made a fantastic film here, full of nostalgia but also full of surprises. There is plenty here to enjoy for fans of Queen and pre-fans of Queen alike. This is definitely a film I will be watching again, and I suggest you do the same.

8 out of 10.