We are the champignons! A lot!

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2018)

Ah... "Bohemian Rhapsody". A movie about legendary and flamboyant rock group Queen and its even more legendary and flamboyant lead singer Freddie Mercury. Color me excited!
Queen is one of the best bands that I know of but almost never listen (I don't even know why not). And "Mr Robot's" quirky leading man Rami Malek as rock god is irresistible, just based on trailer alone.
There's somebody about his fragile body, rodent-like (or maybe even vampire-like) face and mysterious gaze that screams "genius casting".
It is said that when Malek was contacted about playing Mercury, he had only a casual knowledge of Queen. To become the rock god, he had to work many intense sessions with a movement coach (as well as learn to talk with prosthetic teeth). And the result just blew me away. A total transformation worthy of Oscar the next February.
Malek seems so haunted and soulful, and yet has such a strong physical presence on screen, that I totally buy him as a performer who just mesmerized the audiences around the world.
Queen fans and others who know stuff have criticized the authors' decisions to change a number of facts about the band's history.
I, on the other hand, knew little about it, and was able to concentrate on the actual movie. And you know what? "Bohemian Rhapsody" is an absolute joy, a triumphant example of what musical or music-filled movies can be! I loved it!
The screenplay is not perfect - in addition to errors mentioned above, the story just rushes through the many years and key events that made Queen and Mercury what they were.
As a result, some of the things may seem strange if one is not familiar with the history, for example Mercury's sudden lust for men soon after finding the love of his life with a woman, or how he was so confident about his performing style already the first time on stage with Queen.
But all these little niggles are compensated by the awesome atmosphere the movie has. Everything about it feels big and immediate - like an epic should - and the performing scenes really immerse the audience with their power and energy.
Which owes a lot to Malek's great acting work, of course. He doesn't impersonate Mercury, he is him! It's probably even better than having attended the concerts in person - the physical closeness and the best viewing angles you can ask for.
And despite rushing through the story, there's still somehow always enough room for characters and what they live through. You can see total commitment from all involved, these are not just characters saying stuff to move the story along. Everybody feels like a real person.
In addition to Malek, there's another total transformation by a famous actor. Did you notice Mike Myers? He is truly a human chameleon, he is.
By the way, the famous comedian Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat", "Bruno", "Ali G" etc.) was once considered to play Freddie but Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor were seriously against it, and also had a final say.
They deemed him not serious enough to do the part. But still... would have loved to see Cohen's version too. He's also known for method acting (of sorts) which give him a potential to do a good job embodying this unique rock god.
Most of the director Bryan Singer's 11 movies have been noteworthy for some reason or other but I consider "Bohemian Rhapsody" his most glorious achievement to date.
Which is easy for me to say because most of his past works are superhero movies - a genre I have zero entusiasm for. But "The Usual Suspects", "Apt Pupil", and "Valkyrie" are cool too, no doubt about that!
Having written that, it should be noted that Singer was fired before completing the work, due to his clashing with cast and crew, and erratic behavior which saw him routinely showing up late to set or disappearing altogether.
So it may not even be thanks to him that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is such a fine movie as it is! Dexter Fletcher directed the last 16 days of filming and oversaw post-production. And he is currently busy with Elton John's biographical movie too!
We recently also had a chance to see "A Star Is Born", another great movie filled with music, great concert scenes and performances to die for. But I dare to say that "Bohemian Rhapsody" was even a bigger thrill for me altogether.
Both are amazing movies, of course, but "Bohemian" has Queen's music which stands a test of time. "A Star Is Born's" music, on the other hand, is more derivative and works best only in the context of the movie.
Which is fine too. But... you know, just saying.