Bohemian Rhapsody is directed by Bryan Singer and the movie essentially tells the story of how Freddie Mercury came to be and how he and the rest of legendary band Queen made billions of hearts soar with their incredible music. The movie stars Rami Malek as Mercury and Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello and Lucy Boynton.
Let me start by saying that even though I liked Queen’s music, I was never a big Queen fan. I was still excited for this movie though, I loved both of the trailers. Most people I knew were excited to see it. Then the reviews started pouring in and I couldn’t believe it. It managed to get a rotten score on RT. I simply couldn’t understand how this could happen so I went and saw the movie for myself. While I do understand where as a film in terms of writing and story, it is painfully average. However Bohemian Rhapsody is so much more than that. I remember when the movie ended, I felt so much joy from this uplifting, inspirational and emotional ride. What this movie manages to make you feel by the end is simply and purely spectacular. Bohemian Rhapsody is not a movie, it’s a journey and a celebration.
Now since I wasn’t a big Queen fan, I wasn’t really familiar with the band members or Freddie himself, I knew his voice and look but that’s it. So before I saw the movie, I spent a bit of time the week before doing some research. I watched countless interviews, I watched the live-aid performance but most importantly I saw a few reaction videos and their faces whenever Freddie sings a high note or just sings a song they like is priceless. This man is truly beloved and this movie showed that perfectly during the live-aid performance.
I’m just going to get rid of the negatives first. This movie is so heavily cliched. There is literally a sad scene which takes place outside in the rain. This is supposed to be a biopic but it plays out like any other movie about a band. Also this movie has some of the worst pacing in a movie ever. Around thirty to forty minutes, the band is already on their fourth album recording Bohemian Rhapsody. I was a bit disappointed when I found out about the historical inaccuracies but as I said this is not a documentary, it’s a celebration. The purpose of this movie was to carry on the legacy of Freddie Mercury. To keep him alive by introducing him to a whole new generation, to celebrate his uniqueness and wild talent. That is where I go into the positives of this movie.
One of my favourite aspects of the movie was going behind the scenes on how they made the iconic songs and the struggles that came along with being always original and bold. I loved the making of the titular song, Bohemian Rhapsody and the Galileo part was especially funny. If you’re looking for that in this movie, then you’ll be satisfied. Although it does lead me to one other flaw. Bohemian Rhapsody is really not the Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic you wished for. It just shows their greatest hits, quite literally. Apart from Bohemian Rhapsody, there are little to no scenes of them actually writing and coming up with the melody, the interesting stuff basically. They do it with Another One Bites the Dust but it’s a little thing. The We Will Rock You origin is just lazily written.
Before seeing this movie, I barely knew who Queen consisted of, now after the movie, I am obsessed with Queen. I love them so much. The amount of respect and love I have for this band now is inexplicable. I love all the members, although while Freddie, Roger and Brian got their moment, but John Deacon while he did get his moment was rarely used in the movie. Just yesterday I was talking to my friend about the movie and he completely forgot that there was a fourth member. Nevertheless the cast did a great job with portraying them, they were incredibly charismatic and charming. I love how they did not let fame get to them, they were still four talented and smart British guys who were down to earth.
Overall, while Bohemian Rhapsody is not the biopic some expected, it is nonetheless a great time at the cinemas. If you want to enjoy this movie, go into the movie with the mindset that this is not a movie, it’s a celebration, it’s the journey of Queen. It carries on the brilliant legacy of Freddie Mercury. I know that this is a bit silly but this movie is like a revival of Freddie, it’s like he’s still here. His presence is present in the movie and that’s due to Rami Malek’s brilliant performance. If you like Queen, watch it, if you like music, watch it, if you’re looking at a great time in a movie, go see it.
RATING: B-
owen is a filmaholic 