Screenplay:
Anthony McCartenCinematography:
Newton Thomas SigelCast:
Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers, Aaron McCusker, Meneka Das, Ace Bhatti (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day. (20th Century Fox)
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Reviews (19)
No one in the world can accuse me of not being a fan, because there probably isn’t another band in my life that I was into as much as Queen. I didn't listen to anything else for a few years. I absorbed the songs, lyrics, concerts, and I read the biographies. That's probably why Bohemian Rhapsody seems like very lazy history research to me, and it was also very much castrated by the living members of the band. All that remains is the flimsy story of a naughty child and a trio of his dads who try to protect him from evil in the form of a disgusting version of Tom of Finland and his party of gay friends in leather. It was supposed to be a portrait of deep solitude, but it is just a superficial and poorly-motivated collection of weakly told stories. All in all, I can deal with the fact that the film dismisses everything dark (sexuality, drugs) in almost a puritanical vein, if it at least offered more than sitcom figures and a lot of awkwardly arranged scenes (will anyone really be satisfied with a theatrically lit and Highlander song tinted scene from the AIDS center in 2018? Obviously they will...). The film is kept above water by excellent editing and also the fact that it has a rhythm typical for this type of genre. At Live Aid, you can feel that Singer quite enjoyed it. In some scenes, I had the feeling that the director was either sleeping or didn't arrive. The paradox is that a perfect product was created because of all those blind spots. He gives people a genius without everything that was outrageous about him and preserves Queen’s pathetic halo of stadium entertainers. Only Roger was a bit of a naughty womanizer. But you know how it is with those guys...
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The celebration of a legend, sunny, full of breathtaking energy and musical highlights. Some of the passages are unnecessarily cinematic, not improvisational enough and quite for effect. Here is where the spontaneous A Star is Born wins. This is reminiscent of 2013, when the two best films of the year, Gravity and Rush, stood side by side and each had a slightly different fan base. Both were great films, but while Rush was a true-to-life story, graspable by any spectrum of audiences, Gravity wanted a more ambitious recipient who was willing to "put in the work" to be rewarded. The same thing happens here, and in films that are very similar in genre. Bohemian Rhapsody is the more challenging sibling, A Star is Born is a gentle American love story, but it manages to work better with emotions. And unlike Rhapsody, you'll take away a bit more from the cinema than just a polished musical component and an interesting depiction of a typically internally torn weirdo artist.
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This is not a biographical movie about the conflicting controversial Mercury´s personality. However, it is not even a film about the ups and downs of one of the most important bands in history. Where the Queen pushed / broke boundaries, the film is the exact opposite of their nature. It is "only" a completely safe “medium-current" (but at least not pathetic) and a celebrating film for fans in the form of “flying around the world through the careers of the Queen and their biggest milestones / hits". And not surprisingly, it doesn't matter at all, because it has one motto, which has the insignificant portion of films / documentaries (not only) about music. Namely, a completely unprecedented captivating driving force and energy, moreover supported by excellent technical (and especially sound; especially in Imax) aspects and performances. Not only Malek, but also Gwily Lee as Brian May and others are worth mentioning. Yes, I can complain about the fact that if I cast an actor in the caliber of Malek, who more than aptly (not) portrays, but becomes Freddy (how he managed to balance memorable poses and facial expressions with moments where only his look is enough, is worth all the praise), into the role of such a bearing and grateful role, it is an outright sin not to make full use of it and not to explore all aspects of his life. Yes, it's basically a fairy tale about outsiders, where the remaining members of the band have no place left beyond their role in the band. Yes, a lot of characters play a purely caricature role (especially the duo Ray Foster / Paul Prenter), a lot of things don't fit in time, quite a few of them are modified or even invented. There might complain about a lot of things. But, as I mentioned, that energy and pace push all these week points completely out of the field of vision and instead just rock and roll.
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I was never a Queen fan. For me, their music was synonymous with the cinematic Highlander, and when the name Freddie Mercury was mentioned, the most that came to mind was a duet with Montserrat Caballé. But I respect a film that conveys so much energy with such certainty. The final half-hour of the Live Aid concert is a great idea. Why complicate something that works? Wasn't the reality a little more complicated? That could be another movie in and of itself.
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Bohemian Rhapsody is an emotional and vigorous celebration of artistic dedication, individualistic eccentricity and the importance of standing your ground. The funny and fresh introduction of how the band’s greatest hits were created in the studio provides some comic relief from the emotional relationships that build the characters’ depth and, at the same time, serves as a musical precursor to the final CONCERT, which with amazing technical skill summarizes all of the joys, pains and life values of Mercury and his loved ones touched upon by the movie. One can hardly believe that it was so “movie-like fateful” in reality and that the Mercury’s ex-wife was always the person closest to him, even though he had strayed sexually. This amazingly edited, lighted and, above all, well-acted film offers a lot of playful details without a single creative lapse or weak spot. Rami Malek has you in the palm of his hand from the moment he appears in front of the cameras. You’re there with him, getting drunk on his acting performance and watching the uniquely depicted character placed in the web of friendly, professional and romantic relationships. You admire him, root for him and, in the end, during the CONCERT, you feel terribly sorry for him. You feel that the world lost something precious when it lost Freddie Mercury. Bohemian Rhapsody is the best music biopic I’ve ever seen. A huge screen and quality sound are a must.
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