Bohemian Rhapsody – Film Review

For musical biopics this film is a character study for the legend that is Freddie Mercury. Queen is an iconic band that its surviving members needed to have show that they were all intricate in the bands success and didn’t want to have a film just about the lead singer.
Rami Malek really shines in this film as Freddie in showcasing the struggles he had personality not only in his own sexuality and professionally but his whole identity.

The film portrays him as bisexual in this film — I can’t attest to that but that is how they portray him. They don’t hide his sexuality on screen which is a big first for a main stream blockbuster to show. I did appreciate that they showed his sexuality wasn’t his only defining characteristic of him as a person. There was more to him that he was exploring and that he kept from the world to have some privacy.

I pity your wife if you think six minutes is forever.

I liked the 20 minute Live Aid concert at the end. They highlighted a lot of their famous songs for 20 minutes. It was like being at a mini concert. The costumes that Rami had to put on throughout the movie were very well constructed to get him into character. Though they do emphasize that he is Pakistani they just briefly highlight the racism that Freddie experienced. I do like that they at least highlighted rather than not let it be known that someone of color was leading the film.

The problems I had with the film is that it was very run of the mill / by the numbers plot that wasn’t historically accurate. The film just played very generically to be a crowd pleaser, (which is not a bad thing) its just not as innovative as it could have been. There wasn’t as much conflict as I would have liked. Also, Freddie’s HIV status being a motivator to do the Live Aid concert felt a little wrong. I don’t think they conveyed the gay lifestyle in the best light. Though they sort of redeemed that with the Jim Hutton storyline with him learning to respect others.

For people who are fans of Queen I think they will be satisfied overall but have some issues with the historical accuracy of the events that happened. It is still a great cloud pleaser that is harmless to watch, that you can sing along to Queen’s famous songs. I would say it is worthy of seeing on the big screen — especially with the concert at the end. Nothing that needs to be seen immediately but in time.

7/10

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