Road to the Oscars 2025: This is nominated for best original song for the song "never too late" and it´s a bit of a surprise to see a documentary only being nominated for song, but the other documentaries nominated this year are more hard hitting no doubt but still. This will probably be the last movie I see before the Oscar show that will be on my birthday, fun.
Having a doc about Elton John's life and carrier seem interesting enough, but this doc dragged a lot. While I love Elton John and his music this doc just needed to be so much more tight on telling the story it wanted. Why is John stopping his touring career. That is the conclusion here but it is such a long way to get there.
We listen to an interview with Elton John, talking about his career and life.
This is overall a fine enough doc, but it just needed to be so much more focused on what it wanted to tell. It is a bit all over the place with what it is telling. This was good, but it was actually bad, here is a podcast John is doing, here are some numbers, here are his scandals. It´s a bit all over the place and while it gives a holistic view on John as a person, it at the same time makes the conclusion of the doc ring a bit hollow as it never really feels like that is what the doc is building up to. But I am glad to hear John has turned away from his loneliness and sadness.
The B roll here is a bit distracting at times, especially in the beginning ,pictures graphics, whole animations, it gave up some brain rot show vibes at times. Now all the archival footage, that´s amazing! So cool to see all of these pictures and concerts. But the doc sadly just doesn't look the best because of all the mixed media it is going for.
The music of Elton John is a incredible and I found myself singing along most of the doc. He is just an entertaining man with an incredible lineup of songs that are all just amazing. Now the new song from him in the credits of this doc sadly is fine. It´s not John at his prime, but still an Elton John song so you can´t go fully wrong.
What did this doc really want to say about Johns life? That it was bad? That it was full of accomplishments? It seems weirdly unfocused with a lot of ups and downs with a conclusion that it might have been all bad, or what? Again it´s a bit all over the place
The cutting from countdown to last concert to the past is also has some pacing problems at times sadly.
While I was entertained no doubt I also found myself drifting a bit away from it towards the end. It is a fun enough watch but it has a bit too many production issues and an iffy moral that makes the doc a bit all over the place to really call it great.
Oscar Predictions:
Now I only need to listen to the song from "Sing Sing"(2023) and then I have heard all of the nominated songs. I think this has a fine enough chance of winning since the academy likes Elton John but if it stood to me, sorry, I think I still liked the song "El Mal" from "Emilia Perez"(2024) more. Hope you all have a good Oscar show if you are watching it!
