A typical, technically mediocre film with good heart and a fantastic lead

Rating: 6/10 (2 April 2019)

Like Freddie Mercury to Queen, this movie stands almost exclusively on the foundation of Malek's outstanding performance. The remaining cast members are competent, but pale in comparison to Malek.
To be honest, I enjoyed this movie, I love the music of Queen, and the set design and costumes sucked me right into the era and the world of Queen. If you're looking for a feel-good movie featuring a stellar lead and polished music video-esque scenes, this is a solid choice. However, my personal enjoyment does not make this an outstanding film.
The cinematography and editing leave so much to be desired. The amount of cuts left my head spinning. Additionally there was nothing interesting by way of shot composition. Lots and lots of simple shot, reverse shot scenes of characters talking. Bohemian Rhapsody is visually uninspired, and so poorly edited I found myself sucked right out of the environment.
The pacing of this story is so breakneck, it feels as if they rushed every single beat to get from one song to the next. While it's expected that the music takes center stage in a film about a band, there was surprisingly little substance by way of character development or thematic purpose.
The script relies on feel-good clichÃ©s to keep audiences invested, but it lacks any degree of nuance or subtlety. Prepare to be beaten over the head with the same old done to death "family is everything" theme, and don't expect to find any deeper meaning than that.
All in all, a fun movie with a truly outstanding lead actor, that winds up lacking in almost every technical category. If you're looking for a masterpiece, this film is not for you, but I would recommend it as something to cheer you up on a cloudy day.