'The human condition requires a bit of anesthesia.'

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2019)

This lavishly creative cinematic jewel honors the legend of Freddie Mercury and so much more. The story was written by Peter Morgan and Anthony McCarten (who also wrote the screenplay) and Bryan Singer directed the film with finesse.
The title of the film is perhaps the most famous song that Queen created - the members of Queen being Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek)- lead vocalist, Brian May (Gwilym) - guitar, Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) - drums/percussion, and John Deacon (Joe Mazzello) - guitar. The essence of the film is well described by 20th Century Fox: 'Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.'
Yet even that description barely hints at the grandeur and sensitivity of this spectacle. The early Freddie is shared with his family, the Bulsaras (Meneka Das, Ace Bhatti and Priya Blackburn) - a fine bow to his Pakistani heritage, and his early love affair with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton). Then the rise to stardom begins and Rami Malek soars as Freddie Mercury. The music is lip-synched to the original with great skill and the performances by Malek and his Queen family are outstanding.
Supporting roles by Allen Leech, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers and Aaron McCusker are strong as is the cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel. But the crowning element of film is the extraordinarily fine performance by Rami Malek. He MUST get the Oscar!