Let yourself enter a time-machine and witness the queen of rock...

Rating: 10/10 (1 November 2018)

I honestly admit that the idea of making a movie about Queen entered my life a bit later than probably the most of other moviegoers. However, the very moment I realized it's a real deal my shock turned into an expectation and growing restlessness. The more information I got throughout the years the movie was (not) in making, the more concerned I was, mainly about the main cast, Rami Malek. This name was completely unknown to me and it scared me a lot. There was no resemblance to Freddie, first teasers were not promising. Thus, I was waiting impatiently for the final product. I knew the music would be great, but the movie about a rock band is not only about music. Then there were first official trailers. With each one my doubts began to fade only to turn into a wistful suspense the very moment I sat down inside the cinema. I decided to wipe all trailers, prejudices and expectations off my mind just to give the filmmakers a chance to show me what they had achieved. Once the lights in the movie theatre dimmed, every single soul held its breath and waited for Dolby Atmos to play the first notes of "Somebody to Love". What a clever choice for an opening song. I tried to watch the movie as an unbiased spectator, but alas, this didn't help me at all. After 134 minutes which felt like a blink of an eye I left the cinema full of emotions, fragmented into atoms only to try and get myself together on my way home. I'm really not sure what to blame - the sound, the acting performances or the production design, but for me Bohemian Rhapsody has become the film of the year 2018. Yes, Rami Malek is not a perfect double of Freddie Mercury, but who is, right? If you grab it as a whole, with all the gestures, voice and facial expressions, you will see Freddie Mercury more than you wish to. Other actors also exceptionally resemble the original members of Queen, with Gwilym Lee being the king of them all. All individual parts of the film (although it's not divided into sections or chapters and thus stands for a coherent piece) represent almost epic examples of film artistry. The production design, underlined by a great list of songs, is like a luxurious candy or a praline you will want to have again and again. Another "darling" element of the movie is the humor which can be seen as a subliminal tribute to Mercury's wit. The producers also managed to avoid forced pathos and tear-jerking scenes. The entire movie climaxes with the final fifteen minutes during which the entire crew revived the legendary performance on Live Aid. The moment when the camera flies over the Wembley Stadium to gradually take down amidst the audience will make you grab your seat and feel an (un)pleasant vertigo. You can almost touch the heads of the people. All the scenes featuring live performances of the band were incredibly vibrant and for many Queen fans it will be a dream come true - to travel back in time and feel the atmosphere of the concerts first-hand. I believe that the main aim of the film was not to shock the audience with controversial scenes, nor was it meant to bring a whole bunch of surprising new facts about the band. This is the role of documentaries. Bohemian Rhapsody is an allegory of a lover of life, a singer of songs. A resurrected story of a journey against prejudices, a story about perseverance, audacity, and an immeasurable talent of a man who fully deserves a proper tribute on a big screen. And I'm glad the entire crew of the movie did just so.