Great production and superb Rami Malek make up for some story-telling weak points

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2018)

Going into Bohemian Rhapsody, I heard so many conflicting reports about its quality that I had no idea what to expect. Critics disliked it, audiences loved it. Usually that means the 'truth' is somewhere in the middle, and I was surprised to see myself leaning more towards the audience side as the movie went on.
That's not to say I don't see where the criticism is coming from though, and I actually agree with quite a bit of it. Particularly the first half of the movie is rather shallow, well-executed, by-the-numbers nostalgia porn. Many scenes are made and meant to be viewed with current day knowledge, which makes for some cheap gags and winks to the audience but not particularly compelling story-telling. The recording sessions, while well-executed and full of energy, add very little other than a game of 'who's who' of Queen's greatest hits. As someone who appreciates Queen's music but didn't grow up with it and don't have a particularly large (nostalgic) fondness to it, this didn't really do much for me.
All that being said, most of these issues go away in the second half of the movie, when it's a lot more insightful into the person Freddie Mercury. The key moment that changes my view on the movie is when Freddie first confronts his sexuality with his fiance. It's the first real moment of character that he gets other than just being flamboyant and it hits like a bombshell, mainly because of Rami Malek's powerhouse performance as Freddie Mercury. From there, the film focuses much more on Freddie Mercury's character, and his flaws, and it becomes a much better film because of it.
Together with the incredibly energetic and well-executed music scenes (other than some very noticable audience CGI at the final performance), it overall makes for a very pumped up and positive movie-going experience. The role that Rami Malek plays in all of this is crucial. He gives it his all and it elevates the movie to another level. It's definitely worth seeing for his performance alone.