Is this real life or is this just fantasy? Well, sadly Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody dabbles a little more in fantasy rather than creating an authentic biopic.
The film follows legendary rock band, Queen and their lead singer, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) as they make their mark on rock music history from their early days all the way to their performance at the Live Aid benefit concert.
With a legend as interesting as Freddie Mercury and a journey as rich as Queen’s, this biopic had so much potential. It’s apparent that Singer decided to just cherry pick the more glamorous highlights of their story, creating a rather basic and mediocre biography rather than an honest picture.
If I’m going to nitpick, there was a lot of filming choices that felt glossy, overdone and a little tacky. For example, there are several unnecessary montages with glowing texts to show that the band is touring globally or that Freddie is getting in too deep with sex, drugs, and alcohol. Also, ending the film with the song “Don’t Stop Me Now” to the ending text that Freddie Mercury died in 1991 felt kind of off-putting.
I will say the film has two strong elements: Rami Malek and the music of Queen.
Rami Malek’s extraordinary and transformative performance as Freddie Mercury is beyond impressive. Not only did he capture Mercury’s undeniable charisma and energy but he also captures his physicality which will have you second guessing if it’s Freddie himself on screen.
The music was another bonus. As a huge fan of Queen, I leave you with this – no matter how good or bad this film is, you still get to listen to the Queen’s greatest hits for two hours. And to me, that’s not that bad. That’s just the power of Queen. Just be prepared to have the music stuck in your head for days.
Final Thoughts: Bohemian Rhapsody is, unfortunately, a flat and glossy biopic however it is not a disaster thanks to the timeless music of Queen and for Rami Malek’s killer performance.
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