A Triumph!

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2019)

This movie inspired me so much it has quickly risen toward the top of my all time favorites. I am a lover of music without visual (there are some of us who still prefer to use our ears) but I'll make an exception for a musical or music biopic. As a theater experience it was heaven to hear Queen playing full blast and well worth watching on a big screen to get the full concert effect. The band is well portrayed by all the actors-- Brian May (Gwilym Lee) the all around musician's musician, guitar god and band's unspoken leader, John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) the quiet and unassuming brilliant bass guitarist, Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) the rockstar drummer/ladies' man, and the irrepressible Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) flamboyant front man and performer who shaped the band's public persona, gifted with songwriting musical genius and a voice that could make angels weep. In Bohemian Rhapsody it's like Queen are all together again making music on our cinema screens, not like a dry documentary but like a concert with all the heart, charisma and chemistry the real Queen had in the 70's/80's, this was a band so tight they were sort of family each one talented on their own but together produced music for the ages. Rami Malek is not a doppelganger of his character in looks but no matter because he doesn't just play a role it's like he got taken over by whatever charisma and power Freddie Mercury possessed. It is a goose bump inducing portrayal and deserves every award for acting there is. I could see Freddie's joy and pain, triumph and tragedy, conflict and resolve--he was not so different than other stars of the era of sex, drugs and rock and roll--it was for many a path to unbridled hedonism and Freddie was adored by rock and roll fans for being Freddie both because and in spite of his escapades and this respectful movie heightens the feeling without taking away his humanity or sexuality. His relationships with his family and with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) and Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker) are very touching and the actors are noteworthy as was (Tom Hollander) as the instantly likeable Jim (Miami) Beach, the band's manager. The movie follows the biopic pattern but I don't see that as a negative when Queen and Freddie's musical story is so tailor made for it--they didn't have to change the story to fit the pattern just condensed and moved the events around to fit the movie running time. Some characters were fictionalized but this is a movie and most movies are entirely fiction so I don't have a problem with it. The editing was outstanding for both visual and sound. The soundtrack supports the story magnificently. I was a mess of emotions while watching Bohemian Rhapsody and haven't stopped reflecting on it ever since. Bravo to the cast and crew!