Review of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) by Mrmoviebuff — 02 Nov 2018

What makes 'Bohemian Rhapsody' a well-made biopic is its unrestrained look at the personal life of its main character, what stops it from being a truly great biopic is its rather mellow and simple exploration of certain themes, especially since its supporting characters all feel the same just to make its central focus stand out that much more.

Rami Malek portrays the musical legend Freddy Mercury in a very convincing and committed performance (one that I'm sure might even land him an Oscar nomination). He lives a very typical and peaceful life with his family and one day he goes to a college club where a band performs and he thinks he has what it takes.

He meets the band members; Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) and he shows them what he's capable of. He joins the band as their lead singer, and despite his Asian background and his teeth abnormality, his image is outweighed by his charisma and lead performance to wow the crowd.

Freddie believes that he can take this band further by finding them an agent and signing a record contract and giving them the ability to record any song they wish. Their ambitions are always limited whether it's because the band itself constantly disagree on many things, or that their managers and record companies say that they can't release certain songs because of many concerns including the length and confusing names that may not catch on.

They come across many obstacles in their early career, but manage to get their message spread across. The film also focuses on Mercury's sexuality, as he tells his girlfrend, Mary (Lucy Boynton) that he wants to marry her one day, but she figures out time after time that he is gay.

Freddie tries to deny this but he can't seem to stop himself each time he comes across a man who appreciates him for who he is. Overall, this film is great if you are a fan of Queen and are interested in the story of how they became one of the most groundbreaking bands of all time.

Despite some clunky direction and maybe even some historical inaccuracies, this movie works if you really care about it. Malek shines the most as the lead singer, and the film's final act - despite a very dragging second act - is definitely worth sitting through, it's craftsmanship is amazing and you will feel like you were just a part of history.

The production design and cinematography alone make this worth watching on the big screen. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' the movie may not come close to the song of a similar name, but when it gets good, it's alive.