In the midst of summer blockbuster season where one massive movie is coming out one right after the other like the world’s most expensive parade, Paramount has been hoping ROCKETMAN will cut through the clutter. The movie screened for the first time at Cannes last night, and the first reactions from critics and journalists who got to see it hint that the movie should have no trouble winning over audiences looking for both an entertaining musical and a potential awards season player.
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The movie screened out of competition during the festival, and word from the reactions is that the movie received a four-minute standing ovation, with star Taron Egerton moved to tears. IndieWire’s Anne Thompson noted in her reaction that even the movie was getting cheers while it was playing, with the rendition of “Your Song” getting applause. On the whole, critics have been praising the use of songs in this blend of the standard biopic and musical fantasy, with glowing reviews showered on Egerton, who many think could be in serious awards contention for his captivating work as John. While the Oscars are always a tough nut to crack, the Golden Globes could be primed for a heavy ROCKETMAN presence.
Not every critic has been blown away, like Peter Bradshaw and Eric Kohn, the latter saying “don’t hold your breath” if you’re looking for a great John biopic, all before giving points to the music. As for other reviews, the first batch has hit Rotten Tomatoes, and the movie has a strong 94% with 16 reviews, which will work in the movie’s favor when it hits theaters two weeks from today.
Take a look at some of the reactions below.
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ROCKETMAN also stars Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard and more and is in theaters May 31.