ROCKETMAN lands on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD August 27th. The film, which stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard, showcases incredible performances of Elton John’s beloved songs by Taron Egerton. The Digital, 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray releases include over 75 minutes of bonus content including four extended musical sequences, deleted & extended scenes, sing-along tracks and much more. Here is my review of the 4K Blu-ray:
“His music inspires you, his life will surprise you” (Jake Hamilton, WFLD-TV (FOX)). ROCKETMAN is a one-of-a-kind musical celebration set to Elton John’s most beloved songs. Discover how a shy, small-town boy becomes one of the most iconic figures in rock & roll. Featuring an all-star cast, this truly spectacular and utterly electrifying ride is filled with show-stopping musical performances and is “unlike anything you’ve ever seen” (Jake Hamilton, WFLD-TV (FOX)).
Review:
Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman should have been the 2018 Best Picture Oscar winner. What’s strange is that Fletcher is the dude who replaced Bryan Singer on that film and the Fletch got zero credit for his work on saving said controversial film. Did I enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody? You bet your ass I did – deal with it. But everything that film got wrong, Rocketman not only gets right, but it does so masterfully. The way that Fletcher and Elton John himself (who was heavily involved in the creation of this film about his life) managed to turn this story into a musical was the perfect creative choice because the film has this level of energy that never dampens even when the story goes through the lowpoints in John’s life. Rehab is a drag but wait until some songs break out in there man — it’s fanf***intastic. Taron Egerton is the ultimate performer and I love that he decided to sing all of Elton John’s songs himself. As a fan of the iconic singer’s music, I loved every reinterpretation of his beloved classics and in a few cases I kinda like Egerton’s mix more – especially on Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting).
The 4K Blu-ray looks stunning and although I think Rocketman was made to be seen in a theater to add to the spectacle of this being a musical — it sounds damn good at home with a decent speaker setup. The movie starts with Elton John confessing his sins and indulgences to a rehab group while wearing one of his many flamboyant and impressive stage costumes, before we visit his childhood home and eventually wrap up with a deliciously cheesy re-enactment of the “I’m Still Standing” music video. Egerton has without a doubt delivered his best performance to date here and it would be a crime if he weren’t nominated for Best Leading Actor. The film came out too damn early in the year and I hate it when these great movies get forgotten about when the Academy considers the cream of the crop.
Rocketman is one of the year’s best films and easily one of the greatest music biopics I’ve ever seen. Thrilling from beginning to end and captivating in ways I didn’t anticipate, you don’t even need to be a fan of Elton John’s music to give this one a try.
Special Features:
For starters – I loved the little book that comes with the 4K Blu-ray and features a very lengthy letter from Elton John himself where he teases his upcoming tell-all autobiography but also goes over the making of the movie. Did he actually try to overdose on drugs and kill himself by drowning in his pool in front of his friends and family? Yes he sure did – but he wants you to know he certainly didn’t sing ‘Rocketman’ while doing so.
There’s a feature here where you can skip to only the musical numbers/songs and I loved doing that, but I did find myself wanting to just watch the damn movie all the way through because as it turns out, I enjoyed all the non-singing parts too, quite a bit actually. The extended musical sequence for ‘Saturday Night’s Alright’ is SO DAMN GOOD – and features a really cool dance-breakdown that I’m sad they cut from the final film.
Every other feature is worth your time too and I think I watched everything in one sitting because it was so damn interesting. This 4K Blu-ray is an absolute must-buy for music fans.
Taron Egerton, Elton John and David Furnish on the set of Rocketman from Paramount Pictures.
- Extended Musical Numbers:
o Introduction by Dexter Fletcher
o The Bitch Is Back
o Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
o Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache
o Honky Cat
- Deleted and Extended Scenes:
o Introduction by Dexter Fletcher
o I Love Rock And Roll
o You’ve Got to Kill the Person You Were Born To Be
o Arabella
o Elton in the Gas Oven
o Stylish Boots
o You’re Not the First Closet Queer with a Mummy Complex
o The Blood Test
o The Heart Attack
o The Launderette
o Do You Want Anything?
- It’s Going to Be a Wild Ride: Creative Vision
- Becoming Elton John: Taron’s Transformation
- Larger Than Life: Production Design & Costuming
- Full Tilt: Staging the Musical Numbers
- Music Reimagined: The Studio Sessions – Behind the scenes in the recording studio with Taron & Elton
- ROCKETMAN Lyric Companion: Sing-Along with Select Songs (English only):
o The Bitch Is Back
o I Want Love
o Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
o Your Song
o Crocodile Rock
o Tiny Dancer
o Honky Cat
o Rocket Man
o Bennie and the Jets
o Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
o Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
o Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
o I’m Still Standing
- ROCKETMAN Jukebox: Jump Straight to the Music
Rating: [star rating=”5″]