Review: Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
★★★
Rami Malak as Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)."
The Beatles were a big reason why the 1960s were fun. In the 1970s, Queen made those years fun. The band starred Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. Mercury continued to perform in the band until he died in 1991 from complications from AIDS. 27 years later, the long awaited documentry comes out featuring the life and death or Freddie Mercury. This picture was directed by X-Men director, Bryan Singer. And well, it's not his best film. It's between X-Men (2000), X2: X-Men United (2003), or "X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)." But this is certainly better than "Superman Returns (2006)."
"Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)" is a biographical film that chronicles the rise of the iconic British rock band Queen and its legendary lead singer Freddie Mercury. The story follows Mercury's journey from his early days as Farrokh Bulsara to becoming the frontman of Queen, exploring the band's meteoric rise to fame, their groundbreaking music, and Mercury's struggles with his identity and health. The film culminates in Queen's historic performance at Live Aid in 1985, showcasing their enduring legacy and Mercury's unparalleled talent and charisma.
The film does a good job with its cast. Rami Malek is terrific as Freddie Mercury, Gwilym Lee nailed the look and voice of Brian May, and Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello were good as well. Let's not forget the chemistry between Lucy Boynton and Rami Malek. This is probably the only reason, or at least one of the reasons, I gave this film 3 stars. I can't tell why I gave it 3 stars, but maybe I was watching it with rose-tinted goggles; who knows.
Other than the casting, music, and set design, there are many problems with this film. Bryan Singer may have been the best "X-Men" director, but directing a film like this was not for him. Singer decided to tell the story his way and kept only a few minor things that he actually liked in the film. The timeline of the band's formation, Mercury's relationships, and his HIV diagnosis are altered for dramatic effect. The film suggests tensions and a temporary breakup before the Live Aid concert, which didn't happen. Despite these inaccuracies, the recreation of Queen's Live Aid performance is highly praised for its authenticity. Overall, the film prioritizes storytelling over strict historical accuracy, offering a compelling but somewhat fictionalized account of Queen's journey.
Due to a mixture of his personal problems and unprofessional behavior, Bryan Singer was let go from "Bohemian Rhapsody." Production was reportedly significantly delayed as a result of Singer's frequent absences from the set. Additionally, there were disagreements between Singer and the members of the cast and crew, most notably with the main actor Rami Malek, who played Freddie Mercury. Singer was finally fired by the movie's company, 20th Century Fox, due to his unstable conduct and inability to carry out his directing duties. Due to Directors Guild of America (DGA) regulations, Singer was still given credit as a director even though Dexter Fletcher was brought in to finish the remaining parts of the movie.
Overall, the film prioritizes storytelling over strict historical accuracy, offering a compelling but somewhat fictionalized account of Queen's journey. But seriously, if you wanted to make a film about the band Queen and the life of Freddie Mercury, make something that doesn't upset the fans. The star meter was hovering at just under three stars, but let's round it off to three and call it a day.