The Positives:
The story - What would YOU do if you were a singer/songwriter and one day no one remembered one of the most famous bands in the world? I loved where this story went. The ending surprised me, and that almost never happens. I had no idea they were going to wrap it up the way they did, assuming they'd go the old, expected route that so many before it have taken. Not only did it surprise me in the ending, but the story was heartfelt, funny, and fantastic. The characters felt real, and Ed Sheeran did an amazing job at poking fun at himself. Every time I thought I knew what was coming next, they took a different turn, all the way up to Jack following an address given to him after he really makes it big. It's a fantastic story, and I'm so glad it's been told. The directing - This movie had a lot of interesting camera angles that I ended up kind of loving. It gave it that *other* feeling that certain movies have. It's unique, fun, and different. The acting - WHAT A TALENTED CAST! I can't gush enough about how I loved them all, but especially Himesh Patel, who is a wonderful lead (if somewhat new to the big screen). As many jokes as they made about him not being a handsome man, I'm fully in love. Kate McKinnon, to no one's surprise, kills it with her quirky take on a California manager ready to offer Jack the "poison cup" of money, fame, and everything he's ever dreamed of. Joel Fry is quirky, gangly, slightly out-there friend Rocky, and I loved every minute he was on screen. The chemistry between all the characters is fantastic. The Negatives: While, as I said above, I LOVE how it ended, I was surprised by it (in a good way), but a bit bummed, too. ***SPOILERSSSS***** Because the Beatles never come back. That made me sad. ****END SPOILERS***** The Rating: 4 solid, hearty feathers Final Verdict: Go see Yesterday. Unless you hate the Beatles. And joy. And happiness. And all good things.
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The Positives: The art is beautiful. The CGI is fantastic. The story is strong. The emotion is there, and sometimes the humor is, too. Duke Kaboom and Forky are worthwhile. The Negatives: That this movie exists at all? Why? Why even be here? Bonnie - THIS LITTLE GIRL IS THE WORST. I can't forgive this movie or this awful little girl, and I definitely am not forgiving Disney. Andy was going to take Woody to college. He would have kept Woody the rest of his life and passed him down to his children, just as his parents did before him. Woody would have been part of Andy's life FOREVER. If it weren't for Bonnie. This little brat was tender and sweet in Toy Story 3, loving her "Cowboy doll." Too bad five minutes in to Toy Story 4 she's abandoned him, leaving him in the closet and TAKING HIS SHERIFF'S BADGE AWAY to give to Jessie. She's the worst. I actually, straight up, no joke HATE this little animated character. She is evil itself. She's also a brat. I work with kids between ages 3-5 and none of them, unless poorly disciplined, are as whiny or bratty as she is. Go home, Bonnie. You don't deserve any toys. The Rating: Cinematography: 4 feathers Emotional Effect (and occasional manipulation): 4 feathers Story: 4 feathers Actual movie: 2 feathers. WHY DID YOU DO THIS? Final Verdict: If you have small children (under 9), then go for it. They'll love it, but you might feel a bit used. If you grew up on Toy Story like I did...run, don't walk, to get away from this movie.
the flip from how we know them (Thompson as Valkyrie, Hemsworth as Thor), giving Hemsworth the seniority, experience, and more troubled past than Thompson is a new dynamic for them. Thompson is a strong lead as Agent M, a woman who is top of her class brilliant, but convinced the MIB exists, which keeps her from landing in the government job she seeks. Hemsworth, who we all know and love when it comes to his comedic side, plays Agent H - once the hero of the universe, now somewhat of a joke.
There are plenty of little tricks to keep you intrigued, as well as in-jokes and new jokes. The graphics are great, and Kumail Nanjiani's "Pawny" is a delight. The Negatives: If you're expecting Shakespeare, Will Smith, or something you've never seen before...why are you even planning to see this movie? The one downside, in my opinion, is how predictable the movie ended up being. I kept waiting for a final twist, but a final twist did not come. However, the person I went with didn't feel the same way and was pleasantly surprised with how things ended up. The Rating: 3.5 solid feathers. Final Verdict: There's no reason NOT to see this movie if you're a fan of the franchise. It's better than MIB:II and competes with MIB:III for me in the rankings.
However, it's Jamie Bell who stole the entire show for me, making me wish he was in more of the movie than the small part he played. Bell captured Taupin's love for John, his struggle with what fame was doing to their lives and friendship, and his sweet commitment to the duo's magical pairing. I loved every minute of Bell's portrayal. Too bad that amounted to maybe 30 minutes.
The Negative: The story - I never knew WHEN I was, which felt disorienting and jolting whenever the story shifted gears to wherever it decided to go next. Unlike biopics that came before it, Rocketman never gives you a place to land, jumping between decades without so much as a newspaper article to orient the viewer. Not only that, but as a story that is neither 100% truth nor 100% fantasy, it was difficult to be interested in what was going on around the central character. John's life, which is sordid, crazy, and the kind of story that should be exciting and incredible to watch, gets lost amid the fantastical musical that takes place around him. The musical elements were occasionally more fun, and I can't help but wonder if they should have committed to a more Across the Universe with Elton John music style as opposed to attempting both sides of the fence. The elements of John's life that they decided to hit felt dropped in like a giant stop sign in what had seconds before been a bee-bopping dance number. This start/stop battle between the truth and the fantasy left me whiplashed and discontent. Finally, when it comes to story, I found issue with the telling of what happens in John's life. As opposed to biopics who came before it, Elton John is very much alive and well, a producer for the film. He has a hand in how his story is told, and while he doesn't hold back on the debauchery (sensitive viewers be warned, there are a few more graphic scenes that are less about sex or nudity than they are about depicting the aforementioned in an attempted artistic style), his story seems one-sided. I don't know Elton John's upbringing, and perhaps his family really was as horrible and unloving as the movie attempts to portray, but there are a few inconsistencies with the characters that make it difficult for me to sympathize or accept the presented story as fact. His mother, for instance, is shown as someone who openly is hateful to him, yet at a time of distress, is shown worrying for her son (maybe just a misdirection by Dexter Fletcher to Bryce Dallas Howard?). More so, nothing ever seems to be John's fault. Throughout the movie, he makes decision after decision that affects his life in a negative way, but it's always because someone else is the villain. He plays victim time and time again, and if it weren't for the final scene, I would have written this movie off as a no-feather travesty that's blind to its own faults. The direction - As I said before, there's no sense of time, which I blame on the director. More than that, while some of the interludes between time jumps are incredibly creative, they came in a way that felt confusing or disorienting until after the fact. I'm left thinking "Wow, that was clever" but in the moment, I pulled out of the story and couldn't find my footing. A true artist manages to pull off the clever without taking the viewer out of the moment. For each clever moment, there was also a laugh-worthy moment (I'm looking at you, final piece of the "Rocketman" sequence). There's something about seeing Taron Eggerton's butt jiggle as he's rocketed off into space that just doesn't convey a serious moment for me... The hardest part for the music, to me, was the way a song would be cut off at the wrong moment, times that were meant to be pivotal to the story ("Crocodile Rock" early on in the film, for example), but stopped my enjoyment dead at the wrong moment of the song*. They also added "Pinball Wizard" a song by The Who, without explaining any sort of significance. It wasn't until I looked after the fact that I found out John sang it for the movie Tommy, a movie I and most moviegoers won't have seen and will have no reference for (and no reference is made, as it's another time-moving montage piece). Furthermore, the biography felt rushed. Am I to believe Elton John wrote the music to "Your Song" upon the first reading of Taupin's lyrics? No struggle? Just suddenly there? Dexter Fletcher couldn't commit. He couldn't be consistent. I blame most of what's wrong with this movie on his inability to decide if he wanted something fantastical (the musical, all cast dancing/singing, fantasy elements) or something biographical (Elton writing the music, his life, his struggles). The Rating: 2 feathers (for Bernie Taupin's portrayal and the artistic nature) Final Verdict: Skip Rocketman (especially if you were planning to go with your son/daughter mother/father). If you really want to see it, wait for streaming. * A friend who doesn't know Elton John music enjoyed the movie more than her husband and I, who are familiar with his songs. For us, it felt like what we loved was being truncated, but for her, the artistic styling of the songs meant nothing other than what was happening in the scene. |
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