Bohemian Rhapsody
I’m a big enough Queen fan to know most of their well known songs and how great the band was. Freddie Mercury was one of a kind, there will never be another. Not a big fan of Bryan Singer (strictly his films I’m talking about her, not any of the crazy stuff he’s done outside of it), but this film looked like it could have been something worth watching, primarily because Rami Malek quite looked the part of Mercury, especially the Live Aid bits that were previewed. I pretty much echo the general consensus. Its not as bad as people were saying but its quite obvious so much of this film is dramatized and inaccurate. It gets into bland territory. However, Malek is actually sensational in the lead role, and the live performances and musical recreations are stunning.
The film follows the life and times of the band Queen with a primary focus on their lead singer, Freddie Mercury. It starts with him joining the band when their previous singer had quit and culminates with the infamous Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium in 1985. We also get a look at Freddie’s love life, the difficulties and struggles he and the band played, and his health around the time of his AIDS diagnosis. The film also recreates some of the well known songs from Queen’s catalog to almost clear perfection, its hard to tell its not an original studio track?? Or so I’ve heard.
The film doesn’t always stay interesting unfortunately and loses a whole bunch of steam 3 quarters of the way through. You can tell that a lot of what occurs in the film is fabricated. I am so certain their songs don’t originate based on arguments in the studio where someone has a eureka moment. A lot of inaccuracies definitely exist, which is a shame because the bands history is already interesting enough. As far as biopics go, its not terrible but it definitely pales in comparison to other musical biopics.
Rami Malek delivers a career best performance as Mercury. Its a shame its not a better film to match his commitment. At times, I forgot that it was Malek in the role as he disappears into the role. I’ve always been a fan of his work on Mr. Robot and think he should get an Oscar nomination for this film. The live performances are also phenomenal. The music is fantastic and the Live Aid performance is breathtaking. They got that bit right, which is worth watching in theaters to just enjoy the music live and loud. Overall, not a great biopic and I wish there was more than just a medley of good songs but it has qualities going for it that make it worth a watch.
6.5/10
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