Middle-of-the-road biopic buoyed by dedicated performances and musical inspiration

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2019)

The biggest British band since The Beatles, with arguably the most iconic frontman of all time, Queen was always destined to have its story told in flamboyant fashion on the big screen. This depiction is clearly rooted in a deep affinity for its subject matter, though it suffers many filmmaking flaws. However, this does not stop 'Bohemian Rhapsody' from being a highly entertaining viewing experience, which most Queen fans will find spellbinding.
Perhaps the main draw of the film is Rami Malek's remarkable performance as Freddie Mercury. The singer's every quirk and physical tic is painstakingly portrayed in exhaustive detail by Malek, who gives his all to perfect Mercury's self-confident strut and irresistible charm. The rest of the cast is also committed for the most part, with Gwilym Lee and Joe Mazzello particularly enjoying themselves as Brian May and John Deacon.
The re-creation of Queen's hit songs also allows for some stupendous displays of musicality. The much-vaunted climactic Live Aid set is highly impressive, and goes full throttle on the band's seminal sound. It's a consistent way in which the film drives up its entertainment value, drawing on the universal language of music to craft an eye-popping celebration of the musicians.
However, on a less shallow level the film is mired in its historical inaccuracies and a half-baked approach to the actual chronicling of the band's story. Mercury's chequered life is sugar-coated for a wider appeal, and is simply falsified at times for the purposes of the story, which swiftly becomes bogged down in cliche. The closest people to him, at least according to the film's version of events, are his wife Mary and personal manager Paul, neither of whom are developed beyond the barest of stock character features.
This focus on Mercury also stops the rest of the band from ever being more than a footnote in their own story: there's still a Queen biopic begging to be made, which tracks their fascinating story in a more focused manner. This lack of focus is without a doubt due to the abrupt change of director after the controversial Bryan Singer was sacked halfway through production.
Ultimately 'Bohemian Rhapsody' never quite reaches the heights it aspires to, as underneath the fanfare it is the most formulaic and underdeveloped of biopics. If you can look past these flaws, however, there's a barnstorming presentation of highly entertaining musical talent anchored by an impressive leading performance. 67/100