Bohemian Rhapsody

Musical biopics are always an interesting genre because they really exist in two separate parts: 

How they display the music and how they display the artist(s). 

Some may struggle in both realms while others can excel in both character drama and music (and yes I get that the latter example isn't a "real" biopic). 

Bohemian Rhapsody isn't bad anywhere, but it does live directly along the lines I mentioned above, separating itself into a film of two sides.

Musically, I'm admittedly pretty uneducated of older bands, though I do know the general songs, players, etc. With Queen in particular, I was surprised while watching the film just how many hits they continuously had -- ones where I maybe didn't connect it was the same band -- and they often tried to push their sound. They were far bigger than I ever knew and Mercury, the lead singer, was as eccentric as they come. 

Luckily, the main reason that most people are probably going to see a Queen film is to rock out in the theater and in that regard, Bohemian Rhapsody delivers in spades and won't leave any fans disappointed. From a holistic film perspective however, it struggles to be anything special aside from a group of strong core performances.

One of the first things you'll notice, and likely be wowed about, in Rhapsody is just how incredibly similar Rami Malek looks and acts like Mercury. As these films often do, the central performances are memorable and iconic for the actor and this is no different. I couldn't quite get over the insanely pronounced overbite they outfitted Malek with which still seemed excessive past what Freddie actually had, but otherwise the performance is pitch perfect. Malek has always been talented, but not always wide known, so I'm hoping that this film can continue to catapult his star upward. In the film's quieter scenes he's the center of attention and commands the screen (when the writing is good enough) and while performing it's eerie how well he mimics Mercury. There's real passion here on Malek's part which effortlessly shows the passion Mercury had across various performances throughout his career. The film's other performances, particularly by the other band members, are also fantastic, but pale in memory/comparison to Malek's. That's no knock on them and probably akin to how they felt side by side with the larger-than-life Mercury regardless. 

GALILEO!!

This is what I wear to work Mon - Thurs

Where Bohemian Rhapsody struggles in during the film's quieter, non musically focused moments. There are some segments showing their experimentation and contract disputes that I enjoyed, but most of the stuff around Freddie's love life, depression, etc. seemed very average. Not awful by any means, but merely there to check boxes of being there. There's also some odd controversy going around that the film villainizes homosexuality as Mercury begins to find himself as he gets older. I suppose I can see how some may perceive it that way, but I found that to be inaccurate (and I was specifically watching for it mainly out of my own curiosity). The true villain is, yes, a gay man, who is an employee of the band and is not villainous for making Freddie realize he is gay, but is villainous for the lifestyle for which he made Mercury live. Heavy drugs, drinking, working, and sex parties are all things that are pretty universally understood as the downfall of many rockers and, at least in my opinion, this controversy is a case of something being made out of nothing. Even despite all of this, the film spends too much time in these music-less moments and has some weird pacing that seems to build to a climax, stumble for a half hour, then build to an ending. 

But the ending is where Bohemian Rhapsody makes a HUGE impact and lasting impression. Before that, there are countless Queen songs that are often accompanied by unique transitions or strong Malek performances. They're really enjoyable; full of foot-tapping beats and some great use of noise and volume. The songs are loud and sound great. From my understanding, many are actual performances by Queen...as awesome as Malek does, he doesn't have the iconic voice of Mercury so they still use original music. That's ok because that would have been a tall order and the performances still feel genuine and authentic. The film ends with the biggest setpiece of them all, Queen's 1985 Live Aid concert which was voted the greatest rock performance of all time (I did some research! Though I imagine this factoid is up for debate). Either way, it's a stellar performance and it's incredible to see the roar of the crowd and the interaction of Mercury with his audience. The crowd is pretty obvious CGI at some points, but it's impressive nonetheless and, as I mentioned earlier, great LOUD music. 

Mr. [Rocker] Robot

It's clear where the ambition with this Queen/Freddie Mercury biography was placed and likely having the music and the performances be the highlights are a bigger selling point than some heavy drama with a bit of background Queen music. Since it does the dramatic stuff semi-competently, the music clearly stands out and helps to elevate the overall film to be an energetic semi-concert.  

CONS

• Has some pacing issues and is too long overall
• Nothing special in the story elements. Feels a bit like they were checking specific boxes to get from performance to performance
• While I don't agree about the controversy surrounding its approach to homosexuality, it's probably not a good thing that's how some are perceiving it (and that I can see how they may be)

PROS

• Rami Malek gives a star performance where he commands the screen, especially when he's on stage
• Strong performances from the rest of the band and cast
• Moves along at a fairly breezy pace despite some slogs in the middle
• Amazing performances
• Memorable and rocking ending. The Live Aid concert was probably one of my favorite scenes of the year
• Obviously, there's great music from start to finish

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10