“Bohemian Rhapsody” follows the life of Queen’s Freddie Mercury, the high points and the low points. The focus of the film is on Mercury’s life, not on Queen’s rise to fame. Therefore, the lives of the other three members of the band are not shown.
Rami Malek gives an inspiring performance as Mercury, mastering all of Mercury’s idiosyncrasies. His performance is seductive, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Every actor’s performance was compelling and each truly physically resembled the band member they were portraying.
Malek lip syncs while what audiences hear is a mix of Malek’s voice, Marc Matel’s voice and Mercury himself.
The film was touching, funny and exciting to watch. Although over two hours long, the movie felt like it flew by. Audiences cried, laughed and laughed while crying. As a Queen fan, the soundtrack was irresistible. The film allows audiences to see the behind the scenes workings of Queen and their creative processes.
Critics agree that the actors’ performances, specifically Malek’s, and the soundtrack are the highlights of this film.
The film lacks the level of agony Mercury experienced, as his contraction of AIDS only constituted a short sequence of the movie. His struggle with acceptance as a homosexual, tension with his father and the torment he experienced because of his extra teeth and flamboyancy were also breezed over. His breakup with the love of his life, however, was present the entire movie.
The illness that led to Mercury’s death was never portrayed; instead, the film ended with Queen’s performance at Live Aid. His death was mentioned at the beginning of the credits but this did not do justice to the true loss of his passing.
Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 62%, criticizing the director and overall feel of the movie, saying that it is too typical, boring and plain to accurately portray Mercury and Queen. IMDB rated the film 8.4/10. Time magazine film critic Stephanie Zacharek ranks it in the top 10 best movies of the year. The audience scores of the movie are extremely high and it did well at the box office.
You will either love it or you will be disappointed. Personally, I would see it again and again.
The movie took eight years to be complete, due to numerous setbacks along the way. It is rated PG-13 for language, drug content, suggestive material and thematic elements. It is two hours and 14 minutes long, directed by Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher.
