"I don't know how much time I have left": Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late finds Reg in reflective rather than acerbic form

Elton John muses on his life, streaming now

Elton John: Never Too Late
(Image: © Disney+)

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

Elton John’s jaw-dropping success in the US peaked in November 1975 with shows at Dodger Stadium in LA. So where better to play his final US concerts (three headliners at the 140,000- capacity venue) in 2022?

The Dodger dates form a bridge over which Elton – in reflective rather than acerbic form, alas – faces his own mortality (“I don’t know how much time I have left”), his family and his career in this 100-minute Disney+ documentary, co-directed by husband David Furnish.

Elton John: Never Too Late | Official Trailer | Disney+ - YouTube Elton John: Never Too Late | Official Trailer | Disney+ - YouTube
Watch On

Narration-free, it’s live footage and interviews through the ages, anime-style animation and stills. We’ve been here before, but it’s a joy to hear of things like Elton and John Lennon hoovering cocaine in a hotel room, refusing to answer the door when old bore Andy Warhol knocked.

But when he laments that his father never saw him play (“God, I wish it had been different”), his childhood vulnerability resurfaces.

Elton John: Never Too Late airs on Disney+ from December 13.


John Aizlewood

As well as Classic Rock, John Aizlewood currently writes for The Times, The Radio Times, The Sunday Times, The i Newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and Mojo amongst others.  He’s written four books and appears on television quite often. He once sang with Iron Maiden at a football stadium in Brazil: he wasn’t asked back. He’s still not sure whether Enver Hoxha killed Mehmet Shehu…