RATING: A-
- RATED PG-13
- RELEASED: November 2, 2018
- RUNTIME: 2 hr. 14 min.
- DIRECTED BY: Brian Singer
- STARRING: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton and Aidan Gillen
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is the story behind the beloved ‘70s/80s rock band, Queen, and chronicles their meteoric rise to success along with their hardships, although this is a movie that mostly focuses on the biography of the band’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury.
As a big fan of Queen, I was very excited for the movie, but when negative reviews started to come out, criticizing the historical inaccuracies and clichés, I was apprehensive. So, it was great to walk out of the theatre knowing this is one of the best movies of the year.
The critics totally under appreciated “Bohemian Rhapsody”; it is not only a fantastic and entertaining tribute to Queen, but it is also an emotional exploration of Freddie Mercury’s difficult life. The concert scenes are teeming with thunderous energy and when audience favorite Queen songs like, “We Are the Champions”, “We Will Rock You”, and “Another One Bites the Dust” roar through the theater, everyone in the audience gets goosebumps. The recreation of the concerts are well-done and accurate, especially for the jaw-dropping grand culmination of the film where the iconic Queen performance at Live Aid 1985 is re-enacted almost exactly.
Rami Malek gives a marvelous performance as Freddie Mercury, completely morphing into the persona of Mercury while he becomes the exuberant, and out of this world rock star. It is one of the better performances of the year, and should at least be considered for an Oscar. But besides Malek’s performance, together with the magnificent music, the best thing about “Bohemian Rhapsody” is seeing the story behind the music and learning about Freddie Mercury as a human. All of the trials and tribulations that Queen had to go through to make it to the top pull the audience in and you are with Freddie for the whole ride because it has so many emotional layers moving you to feel for him.
Overall, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is enjoyable for its music, but it is also a great study of how a pained person’s tough circumstances in life led them to create something beloved all over the world. It is a riveting story with amazing performances and it is a definite must-see.