Elton John: Never Too Late ★★★

Released: 13 December 2024

Director: RJ Cutler, David Furnish

Elton John’s career is of course one of the most prolific and successful in all of pop music with hits spanning over 50 years and countless accolades, recently becoming an EGOT member. His story was memorably told in Dexter Fletcher’s highly acclaimed Rocketman back in 2019, with Taron Egerton doing a fine job as Elton. Never Too Late from R.J Cutler and John’s husband David Furnish is an amalgamation of John’s autobiography Me, a tour diary of the run-up to his final US shows in 2022 at Dodger Stadium and a record of some of his career highlights, specifically the 70s. While all of these are fascinating stories, the focus is somewhat scattershot and at under 2 hours, proves difficult to cover a 50-year career in as much depth as it deserves.

The segments from the 1970s, fans will already likely be familiar with, although they are lent an interesting perspective in hearing them from Elton himself. We chart his first meeting with lyricist Bernie Taupin, forming one of music history’s most successful songwriting partnerships. We cover key events from his iconic show at LA’s Troubadour, his first hits and some of the most iconic albums and singles of the 70s. Most interestingly, his collaboration and friendship with John Lennon and John Lennon’s last live performance at Elton’s Madison Square Garden show, following their single Whatever Gets You Thru The Night hitting #1 in the US.

Ultimately a lot of the key beats from the 70s were covered in Rocketman, from his unhappy childhood to issues with addiction and meteoric rise to huge success in the UK, US and across the globe. His farewell tour arguably could have benefited from a film of its own, feeling out of place here in moments of reflection on his youth, although the intersection of the original Dodgers show with his farewell show is cleverly handled. There are also some interesting directorial flourishes with various key moments depicted in animation, giving them a new lease of life.

Never Too Late is likely to please more casual fans or those who may have not seen Rocketman, showcasing how strong his back catalogue is and the strength of both his singles and album tracks, with many played in snippets throughout. An interesting segment, not dived into greatly is his support for upcoming artists on his Apple Music show Rocket Hour, again which could have been a key part of the film. The film’s lack of focus and attempts to cover so much, make it far from definitive, although it is not without moments that remind us of his importance as an artist and their musical legacy.