Reviews

When this movie first came out, a certain group of fans were obsessed with it (myself included). We'd watch it over and over, attempting to figure out the different timelines, how much of the science had been done (2004), and how much was never explicit/explained, nor what the time loops/branches were or could be. However, any movie name dropping Feynman probably has reasonable science, at least in theory.

Several people actually created flowcharts to show how the movie was written and the loops were constructed; not all flowcharts corresponded back in the original debates.

The initial and ending "tape/overdubbing" by Aaron as well as the jump cut to Abe being passed out and awoken by Aaron early on gives away (eventually) that Aaron eventually becomes the controlling character - though in the movie he is a close friend/co-inventor with Abe up to a crucial point. I think overdubbing what's in a character's mind is a useful film device, though I'm aware many people have differing views on that in film. Here, with the complexity, it helps to give the watcher some grounding in a challenging storyline. The film is very complex the first time you watch it.

Aaron and Abe's characters are the only ones really fleshed out in the script. All the other characters, including Aaron's wife, Abe's girlfriend, and her father (the potential VC for Aaron, Abe, and two other ambitious engineers involved early in the movie) are plot devices more than actual characters.

This makes the rest of the film more of a 2D backdrop, which is why I didn't give it a 10. Shane Carruth did an incredible job writing, producing, directing and starring in this movie - except for his supporting character development.

If you are a science fiction/time travel film lover, and/or an engineering, computer science, or any applied math-based professional, the content and upfront presentation of the film can easily draw you in. The film's beginning engineering & development cycle, mention of VC, and flowcharts of the logic behind the film afterwards I mentioned earlier are comparable to systems development for any type of public/private/academic applied math project (engineering, computer science, physics, etc.).

It takes only one viewing of this movie to be fascinated with it. You might wind up watching it more than that - say, at least a couple of times a year.

I had heard going in that this movie was closer to a musical in some respects than a biopic with music - which is accurate. It would translate beautifully onto Broadway. That said, my ratings:

Acting: 10/10 - Taron Edgerton nails Elton John. I was a tween when Elton first hit the US, and was obsessed with his music from that point on, being a pianist. He absolutely dominated the 1970s, and Taron portrays the ups and down of his tortured soul while being the dominant musician of that period beautifully. Jamie Bell did an equally beautiful job with Bernie Taupin's character; he's everything I imagined he was, given how closely they worked together. I was glad to see at the end that their friendship survived this rollercoaster. The other characters did equally great jobs as well, though I would have liked to have seen how EJ's bandmates helped/hindered his ability to function throughout the 70s highs and lows. Richard Madden plays the manager/lover John Reid with an oily ice slick performance that was amazing.

Music: 9/10 - I had no problem with the music being out of sync with reality, but rather driving the narrative. Since I knew all of the songs, it didn't really matter to me if they got them in letter perfect order. I was very impressed with Taron's singing ability. I'm knocking just one point off for the hard rock songs - Taron tries, but doesn't quite make some of the harder rock songs ('Saturday Night', 'Bennie and the Jets') have quite the right feel to them.

Story: 7/10: I really liked the mechanism of starting and ending in rehab - to show the viewers what made EJ both drive himself and why he had vulnerabilities. However, I think they should have made the movie 15 minutes longer and shown some critical points missed in EJ's career (Paul Buckminster, Ryan White, his 'restarting' albums only with Bernie) as key points prior to rehab.

Overall: 9/10: I'm giving it a 9 because it comes close to that on points. However, the storyline needed some critical points I think they cut or compressed for time. I think diehard fans like me were hoping for some scenes that never showed.

Why do all the shows I love get killed in the crib?

This show was one of the best spinoff shows I've ever seen. Great tie-ins with the original series (comparable to the 'Six Million Dollar Man' and 'The Bionic Woman' - but so much better; don't judge those shows through a 2019 lens, they were great in the '70s), with a fantastic independent mystery/thriller setup with unusual twists in each episode.

Not to mention the genius casting- two of my favorite character actors, Famke Jenssen and Terry O'Quinn, playing the star-crossed, brilliant yet potentially crazy divorced couple. They happen to be the true parents of 'The Blacklist''s Tom Keen, Ryan Eggold - whose likability and attractiveness is through the roof - and he must have his pick of casting in multiple shows at this point. He'll probably end up jumping to films

Why didd you not give this show a real chance, NBC?