A tale of opposite sides of the spectrum; joyful & menacing.

Rating: 9/10 (20 August 2019)

You've bought the t-shirt. You've bought the album. You've bought the concert ticket. Now you can buy the film. This skimming the surface of the interpretation of this English band through this latest medium goes through the simplistic motions of a well written book; it has a beginning. A middle. And an end. But here, Bohemian Rhapsody contains all three aspects of the qualities of a well written book, too, but in its final execution it lacks true depth, true insight and true understanding of exactly how this band lived and survived within the harsh realities of the music industry itself. No secrets here.
Queen disbanded after their final performance together on the 9th of August 1986 (Knebworth Park, England) and officially after the sad death of their charismatic, extrovert lead singer Freddie Mercury, birth name Farrokh Bulsara (5th September 1946 - Sultanate of Zanzibar: 24 November 1991 - London, England) to HIV AIDS. Bohemian Rhapsody, with good intentions, is a fantastic film, the operative word here being "fan". The concern with biopics is that they can tend to be simply that, a fan-based narrative to straightforwardly not engage the pros & cons of the whatnots of said artists' but to entertain and, more importantly, to perpetuate the image, the myth, the legend and the coffers of those involved; If you make it, they will buy it. All well and good, to a point, if you understand the difference of entertainment and education; the difference between biopic and documentary.
"Bohemian Rhapsody", written by Mr. Mercury, for the 1975 album "A Night at the Opera", is more than simply a track on a 70s rock album, its significance, its impact, its relevance, both musically and culturally, has connotations way beyond its six minutes of diversity and complexity, and here, with the work of Mr. Singer, has extended the image, the myth, the legend. This amusing fable, this sad tale, this exposÃ© of a casualty of abundance delves into the murky waters of human relationships; betrayal, jealousy, anger, self-worth, identity, loneliness and ego.
This is not the story of one band, this is, first & foremost, the story of its frontman, Freddie Mercury. We are to witness a fleeting glimpse, and feel, once more, a connection beyond the passing of this public figure, an empathy to his course, an empathy because of his course, like so many of his kindred spirits. We delve into his struggle with his proud parents, his bisexuality, his homosexuality, his working, and departure, within the band and ultimately his love, his soulmate, for Mary Austin (b. 1951).
Bohemian Rhapsody certainly shows the sordid side of how people can become lost, not only within themselves, but as human beings, but there is also hope, reconciliation and family too that are projected along the narrative here, sending a message that amongst all that is rotten there is always love & family. This is an intriguing retrospective of contradictions interwind with both joy and tragedy of a time when four men came together and became not only kings of their profession, but an inspiration fit for a Queen.