Bohemian Rhapsody - Movie Review

I usually don't watch none-blockbuster movies at the cinema, but I love Queen and everyone that I know who saw the movie loved it. So did I. Even though the connection between what we see in this movie and reality is slim to none.

Real Queen fans might get really really irritated with the movie and also people who like to nitpick. You can tell that the living band members had an influences on the movie's script (they are the producers of the movie) as it makes them look better than they actually were. Although mostly the movie cut corners to condense as much as possible. They also changed the timeline to make it work for the movie. But these are changes that I actually don't mind as I don't expect movies to represent reality. I think that mostly importantly the movie respected Mercury's wish to be known only for his music and not be a poster boy for any cause.

Rami Malek plays Farrokh Bulsara mostly known as Freddie Mercury, one of the most charismatic and yet enigmatic lead singers to have ever lived. Malek was amazing in this movie. He changed his appearance to look more like Mercury and took a movement coach to move like Freddie. Malek defiantly embraced the show don't tell approach to acting which I highly appreciate. I don't find the fact that he didn't use contact lenses to be distracting as I found that it mostly damages people's acting abilities. He sure did come a long way since Twilight.

You might also recognize the actors of the other band members. Gwilym Lee plays Brian May. He looks so much like Brian May that it's almost disturbing. He isn't well known and his most noticeable credit is a tv show called Midsomer Murders. Ben Hardy who plays Roger Taylor has a more impressive credit list, buy I mostly know him as Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse. Joseph Mazzello plays John Deacon and he was my biggest shock. He is Tim from Jurassic Park (1993). It's great that he is still an actor, but it makes me feel old. They all did a pretty good job in the movie and didn't get swallowed up in Malek's shadow.

The movie itself follows Freddie Mercury from the moment he joins the band until Live Aid. A part of the movie just felt mediocre in my eyes with a few glimpses of funny and inspiring moments. But the music is what I came for and I was not disappointed. Every time a song started and every time we got a glimpse of how a song was written it was amazing. Also, the movie went a bit Meta in my eyes with Mike Myers cameo in it. I did spend most of the movie wishing I could get up and dance a bit, instead I was rocking in my seat and singing a long, in a quiet voice.

By far the best part of the movie is the Live Aid concert. It was chosen to be the best live rock concert of all times and it does not fail to deliver in the movie. It apparently made the director wake up, because the camera work in this section is amazing (this movie has two directors as Bryan Singer was fired from the movie two weeks before the end of the filming and Dexter Fletcher was hired). You feel like you are watching a concert from backstage, which is an incredible experience. Also, I don't need to say that the music is great, right? I would have been happy if it was a 20 minutes section like in was in reality.

In the end the movie just brought tears to my eyes. Literally. I came out of the movie theater crying. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I saw the movie on November 24, exactly 27 years after Freddie Mercury passed away. Even though I was really young I remember the day he died and how MTV was filled with Queen's videos. I can't help but make the emotional connection. Even though I saw Queen live with Adam Lambert as their lead singer, this movie proves how unreplaceable Mercury is.

From the movie itself I understand that Queen were not as popular in the U.S. as they were in Europe. You can see that reflected at the box office was the movie made most of it's money outside of the U.S. I hope this movie will correct this situation and bring Freddie the honor that he deserves as the most charismatic front man ever in one of the best bands ever. And get Malek an Oscar nomination, or this movie a song nomination. At least so we can listen to Queen during the awfully boring ceremony. I think it will be great for everyone to have Queen perform at the Oscars.

The main reason to watch this movie is not because of the plot, it's because of Malek's acting and the awesome music. In fact, the audience in my screening stayed throughout the credits just to listen to the music, not because there is a post-credit scene.

Just to celebrate Mercury even further here is the Live Aid concert itself:

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