For American audiences, at least, the movie musical Better Man is a fairly hard sell. It’s an odd-sounding project — a music biopic with the leading man replaced by a CG chimp, built around the career of an international superstar and former boy-band member who’s never really broken through in the States. Americans don’t share the rest of the world’s fascination with pop singer Robbie Williams, in spite of his 14 chart-topping albums, regular presence in U.K. tabloids, and cheeky, viral-friendly music videos. (Note: 107 million views on that video alone, and it isn’t even close to his most-viewed hit, “Angels.”) So the idea of a biopic might not have any instant appeal for U.S. viewers, even with that “ape protagonist” gimmick adding some intrigue.

But while the movie is drawn from Williams’ life, it’s still better to think of it as a fantasy feature. Director Michael Gracey previously turned P.T. Barnum’s career into the rousing, ultra-popular musical movie The Greatest Showman, while glossing over or revising most of the reality of Barnum’s life and work. While Better Man comes closer to the truth about Williams’ history, it similarly plays with image and emotion over facts, particularly when it comes to the music. Just as Gracey replaces Williams with an ape for a variety of reasons (more on that in a bit), he fictionalizes and broadens his subject’s story. More significantly, though, he tells the story through fantasy sequences so bold, expressive, and visually startling that the effects dominate the movie.

Actor Jonno Davies plays Williams throughout the movie for mo-cap purposes, as he grows up as a swaggering,........

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