Storming!

Rating: 9/10 (5 November 2018)

Bohemian Rhapsody: You don't have to be a Queen fan to appreciate this warts and all memoir of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek in a storming performance) and Queen (covering the period 1970 to 1985). Bookended by the 1985 Live aid Concert we see how throughout his life Freddie had to deal with taunts of Paki from his days as a baggage handler at Heathrow to his first appearance with Queen to the tale telling by his sacked personal manager Paul Prenter (played by the aptly named Allen Leech). The development of Queen's unique musical style is well captured and how a move away from it caused fractures within the band. While Mercury was the showman, the roles played by May (Gwilym Lee), Taylor (Ben Hardy) and especially the non-flamboyant Deacon (John Mazzello) in the writing and arranging of their songs is outlined in amusing sequences, very much synergy at play.
Mercury's relationship with Mary Austin ( Lucy Boynton) is central to the film, even though they ceased to be a couple after Freddie explored his bisexual nature and took male partners, their friendship continued until his death. With fame came the vampiric hangers-on and chief among these was Prenter. How all of this led to the temporary break up of Queen is in the film. But the Music! Oh the Music! See and hear how Bohemian Rhapsody was put together along with other Queen classics. The film ends with a re-enactment of Queen's twenty minute set at Live Aid.
This wonderful musical biopic is brought to us with Bryan Singer at the helm as Director but the efforts of Writer Anthony McCarten, Cinematographer Newton Sigel and Editor John Ottman are crucial to it's success. 9/10.