See it because of Rami Malek

Rating: 6/10 (20 November 2018)

I left the theater with lots of mixed emotions. The story is trying to do a lot of things and still manages to make things feel too long. However, I could not take my eyes off of Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury, and of course, the music was great. The musical performances are well done so for that reason along with Malek, it's a film worth seeing.
The plot tries to do too much. It starts as a crash course of how Queen came to be. It takes songs that we are all very familiar with and goes in depth a little on the creation of the song. Freddie's life is sprinkled a little here and a little there but the main story is Queen. Then things shift once Freddie's true sexuality enters the picture and that takes full steam. The music aspect dies off and we watch Freddie change. By the end of the film, both roads come at a crossroads, a conclusion where we get to see Queen's infamous Live Aide performance. The film is not terrible at both stories but would've been a lot more effective if it chose one to stick with. Either do a Freddie Mercury biopic or on the chemistry of Queen.
The music numbers are well done, a big part to Rami Malek. He doesn't hold back in his performance letting it all out. He does so when off stage too, making him really engrossing, and we hang on through the rough portions. Outside of his performance, the only one that stood out was Mike Myers, just because I hadn't seen him in a while and he was hidden well with his makeup. It wasn't until he talked that I realized it was him. The rest of the performances were solid because the cast looked like they were having fun, but none stood out like Rami.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a film that I feel like felt more like a disappointment because of the hype. That was partially due to me having higher bars but it is entertaining. Rami Malek will certainly be in the Oscar race but I will think about how this film could've been better, especially pertaining to music related films from this year and recent years such as A Star is Born, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman.