Malek's Mercury is a landslide

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2018)

Okay here we have "Bohemian Rhapsody" and these 2 hours and 15 minutes are from what I have seen so far the best film of 2018 and chances are high it will stay that way. Mamma Mia 2 wasn't bad either, but I really don't understand why everybody is talking about the sub-par "A Star is Born" as the defining music film of the year when clearly this one we got here is it. I am glad to see it receives a great deal of awards recognition these days, even if sadly the critics don't like it as much, but still hopes are high Rami Malek gets in at the Oscars too and I think he may even have an outside shot at the win. Best Actor seems very open this year and he is in every scene of these over 2 hours and carries the film basically alone on his shoulders. I am a bit surprised how much I liked Malek. I was not sure initially knowing him from other projects if he is the right choice for the lead here, but he really won me over 100% and not just because of his ethnical background. Shame on me for not knowing Mercury was of Parsi origin. The other strong aspects here besides Malek are the music of course and also the script/story. You really get to know the Queen frontman in this film. For example I did not know about his strict father or that he was really married to a woman before discovering his true sexuality. There is one scene when Mercury confesses to his wife that he thinks he is bi not to hurt her, but she responds clearly that he is gay. That stayed in the mind.
The longer the film goes, the more it moves towards its destination: the Queen performance during Live Aid in the mid-80s. This was kept away from Mercury from his (false) friend for quite a while, but eventually with the help of his former wife, Mercury makes the right decision to bond with his former band members again and leave those that don't want the best for him, the vultures and leeches, another fine quote by Mercury when he says farewell to the man who tore him down. But there's many other interesting characters like the band manager who seemingly wants the best for Mercury and his career and also suggests he should leave his band members, but he is not a villain like the lover he stays with until almost the end. Or of course the record producer played by the almost unrecognizable Mike Myers (Austin Powers) who says Queen will never be big if they release Bohemian Rhapsody as a single. And we see him again towards the end when Queen are at the peak of their popularity right during Live Aid. The latter is probably the biggest laugh-out-loud moment of the film, but there are also more serious references like about H.I.V. slowly killing Mercury and it seems he knows it with the "what if he does not have that much time left" comment. But still, it is all in the filmmaker's mind and also good for the audience that this is never intended to become a sob story at all. "Show must go on" is the best example and we have Mercury talk to his band members that he does not want to waste time with getting pity or being sad for himself, but instead invest everything he has left into the music to make his heritage as spectacular as possible. And boy did he succeed with that.
Okay I mentioned Bohemian Rhapsody and Show must go on already, but there are other great hits included in here, some more significant and longer, some less significant and shorter. I Want To Break Free, Under Pressure, Radio Gaga, We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You, Love of my Life, Somebody to Love and so on. These are just a few and even if you are not a great Queen fan, you have come across all these tunes at one point in your life or another and you will recognize them immediately while perhaps also starting to hum the melody for yourself. I would not call myself an expert on Queen or Mercury, so I listened to some of their most known in the days/weeks before watching the movie and I think it was a good idea to get me in the mood and enjoy the film as much as I wanted to. And I told you earlier how I really really loved it. I think they did everything right here, showing us the greatness of Queen, but also how talent-wise and entertainment-wise Mercury was the absolute standout from them, also with his scene early on when he wants to become a lead singer and sings to prove himself, but in terms of the band also when we hear him say they are all legends towards the end. This film will really make you curious about the actual Live Aid performance by Queen and you should go for it. It is on Youtube and runs for over 20 minutes.
Also this is not a film about gay rights or anything. It is a character study and a whole lot about music too of course, so don't be scared of any kind of political messages really being shoved in your face. Like I said before, experienced director Bryan Singer did everything right here and his two Oscar-nominated writers Morgan and McCarten add their fair share too and show us their experience in coming up with one of the best screenplays of the 2010s. And the "doing right" also includes the casting of Rami Malek for the lead. Perhaps many movie-goers who don't watch small screen series will not know him or Mr.Robot and the rest of the cast does not include any big names either (except Myers perhaps), so maybe the cast will not lure millions of viewers into theaters, but the subject should and I think it did. I think this film is an absolute must-see from any perspective. I am writing this as somebody who sadly (or luckily?) is too young to remember Queen and Mercury from back when they were really big, so maybe those who do remember find some flaws with the film, but then I guess I'm lucky that I didn't because the consequence is that these were the best over 2 hours I've had at a theater in a long time. Also from a neutral less Queen-focused perspective, the film includes all you want to see in a music-based movie, great songs, struggles with band members and managers and the press, popularity getting to your head, the impact of time and why Queen was successful when they were successful in the 1980s in terms of the (then) contemporary state of society and a lot more. So in short, this one gets a perfect rating from me and I still find it strange to see Malek/Mercury without the trademark mustache from his later years. I highly highly recommend seeing this film, preferrably on the big screen. Do not miss out.