Long live the Queen!

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2018)

So I saw Bohemian Rhapsody at the theater. I absolutely love Queen so my expectations of this movie were incredibly high. Overall the movie has its strengths and weaknesses, but it is a must see movie for the year. It certainly deserves some criticism for sloppy directing, but it is impossible not to fall in love with Queen all over again while watching the movie.
The plot of the film of course primarily focuses on Freddie Mercury and his complicated life while being the lead singer of Queen. The movie opens with a flashback to illustrate Freddie Mercury's immense talent, his rise to stardom, but also peppers in his descent into drug use, his acceptance of being a homosexual, and eventually discovering he has AIDS.
In a lot of ways the movie reminded me of the film The Doors directed by Oliver Stone. It had an absolute perfect lead to embody the star in every way. It hit all the right notes showing the birth of all those iconic songs. It illustrates a morality tale of the difficulties of stardom. Yet despite all these strengths it was a ultimately flawed but enjoyable film.
The first half of the movie is sure to please pretty much every fan of Queen. Essentially the movie acts as a greatest hits reel demonstrating the conception and performance of Queen's greatest hits. It was impossible not to feel a chill of excitement watching the birth of Bohemian Rhapsody. That of course being the film's greatest strength. It really immersed the fans into the music and mythology behind Queen. The film certainly played it safe in that regard acting as a straightforward fan pleasing look into the inner workings of Queen. That is not a bad thing as it really made those scenes and the iconic songs come to life.
The movie also demonstrates Freddie Mercury's acceptance as a homosexual. The movie shows the struggles and difficulties he faced as he came to terms with his wife and his difficulties living a homosexual life in that era. I would have preferred a bit more social commentary on homosexual discrimination and the AIDS epidemic, but the film only lightly used these issues as a backdrop. Still the emotional conflict between Mercury and his wife was intense and really added a great deal to the movie.
Of course the film also depicted the momentary fall a Freddie Mercury into drug use and debauchery. The depiction of Freddie Mercury here and his poor choices, the film says is the reason Queen faced any real hurdles as a band. This aspect seems to unfairly paint Freddie Mercury in a corner while leaving the surviving members of Queen squeaky clean. Seems a tad bit biased and one-sided. This of course being no surprise as the living members of the band were actively involved in the production of the film.
Acting wise this film was utterly amazing. Rami Malek will get nominated for an Oscar, simple as that. He embodied every aspect of Freddie Mercury. His voice, look, mannerisms, and style were all perfectly captured. This wasn't just some caricature of Freddie Mercury, it was a genuinely amazing performance. To say he made the movie would be an understatement. This is the role that could launch his career into mainstream movies.
Directing wise the movie seemed to have a difficult time finding its voice. Of course the movie had a complicated history in its creation with Bryan Singer walking off set and being replaced halfway through filming. This really shows as at times it seems like the movie doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Is it a simple people pleasing biography? Is it a comedy with Mike Myers in a prosthetic mask?Is it a complex morality tale regarding the dangers of excess and stardom? Is it focusing on the struggles of Freddie Mercury or the struggles the band had to go through because of Mercury? Ultimately the film suffered a bit from a lack of a consistent tone and vision.
Bohemian Rhapsody is certainly a must-see film. The reaction in my auditorium of people standing and clapping really hammers that point home. It will certainly make you want to listen to Queen and all of their iconic hits. It also shows the complicated genius that was Freddie Mercury and the struggles he encountered. I'd largely recommend this movie purely to see the incredible acting talent. While certainly not a perfect film, it was a very enjoyable one. A 8.5 out of 10.