ROCKETMAN 4K ULTRA HD REVIEW
STORY
An epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years.
REVIEW
I'll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of musicals, especially the ones that break out into musical numbers and then resume a scene as if nothing happened. So when I heard that Rocketman had those types of scenes, I was already a bit apprehensive about enjoying. I'm going to proudly eat crow and let you know that Rocketman is easily one of my favorite movies of the year.
This movie has a story that a lot of us are familiar with and I'm not directly referring to Elton John's story, but more of a rock star and his rise to fame and the troubles that come with it. Rocketman does not hold anything back and I really appreciated that. It shows the highs and the extremely low lows. We've heard that fame comes with a price and sometimes that price can almost cost you your life. I don't like spoiling movies, so I won't get into the details. I guess I was just pleasantly surprised with how open this movie was. Especially after Bohemian Rhapsody received some criticism for overlooking some aspects of the the story. Rocketman does not have the same issues.
Now, onto the cream of the crop. What makes Rocketman one of my favorite movies of the year is the performance of Taron Egerton. His charisma and enthusiasm for the role just pop off the screen. I'm not a huge Elton John fan but I've obviously seen clips of his performances and how flamboyant he was, so when Taron Egerton was casted I wasn't completely sold on it. Once again, I was wrong. What is even more impressive is that Egerton actually did his own singing and he actually gave it his own flair. Do yourself a favor and look up his live performances on YouTube, the man is super talented. This felt like a career defining role for Egerton and I hope he receives the recognition he deserves.
You do get your performance scenes and they all look amazing. I know there are plenty of videos out there that do side by side comparisons on music videos that were recreated and you can only respect the time and dedication that went into those scenes. For those who are fans of the music and performances, you will not be disappointed.
VIDEO
Rocketman is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Paramount Pictures with a 2160p transfer in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. There are a ton of vivid colors that popped off the screen in this movie and most of them come from Elton John's wardrobe. It's been a while since I've seen a 4K presentation that was as saturated and rich as this one, and that I mean that in a good way. Finer details are also noticed, from wardrobe textures to aging characters.
AUDIO
The 4K disc comes with a Dolby Atmos mix that does a superb job of bringing the musical sequences to life. I was not disappointed by any of the performances as far as sound goes. Everything from the dialogue to the environment in the more mundane scenes sounded clear and natural.
EXTRAS
The 4K disc does not include any extras but the Blu-ray that comes in the combo pack is loaded with extras!
· 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
LANGUAGES
- English Dolby Atmos, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, and English Audio Description
SUBTITLES
- English, English SDH, French, and Spanish
FINAL THOUGHTS
Rocketman is not only worth picking up but it is a film that is worth watching and watching again. One of my favorite films of the year!
Rocketman is available now on Digital, 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray, and DVD now from Paramount.
