Bohemian Rhapsody

Honoring the life a beloved musician is always the best concern with those types of biopics. The need to make sure the portrayal, life events, and values of that individual are handled with respect while delivering a good value film. It can always be a challenge since the leading actor must fulfill the role well and the true story elements need to be handled in a cohesive organized manner. With an abundance of these entries, it can be difficult for one to standout when the standard rise/fall cliches and narrative structure are constantly being used. This brings us here to Bohemian Rhapsody, a new entry that focuses on Freddy Mercury's life and his music career leading to the 1985 Live Aid concert. There has been anticipation with this as the marketing campaign which seemed to intrigue many fans of the band (as for myself, I'm very familiar with a good chunk of their famous songs that I enjoy whenever they come on, especially in karaoke nights). Upon its theatrical release, the biopic received a mixed critical reception from the critics while most audiences fell in love with it. I entered the auditorium as someone who not only enjoys their song but with the intention to judge it fairly as a movie and left it somewhere in the middle between critics and everyone else but realizing why the latter loves it.

Behind the scenes troubles: There has been problems within the production of the project that should be noted. Initially Sacha Baron Cohen had the role of Freddy Mercury but ended up leaving the project over disagreements with the screenplay in what direction it was heading. In addition to that, director Bryan Singer caused issues with the film by being absent and argued with the cast/crew. This lead to Singer being replaced by Dexter Fletcher near the end of filming, though the former is credited as director due Directors Guild of America rules while the latter got executive producer credit.

Plot: The events being depicted here follows Freddy Mercury's personal life and music career leading to the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium (1970 to 1985). On paper, this sounds like a fascinating journey to explore with how wild and secretive that this lead singer is known for. The execution is not as great as it could have been due to the manipulation of the events being told. It's no secret that these types of features are known to alter the history parts regarding its subject matter for the story it wants to tell but here they did that to a good chunk. As a result it can be difficult to find some emotional investment when a scene taking place can feel fake or unrealistic. In addition to that, the pacing can be inconsistent with how quickly is zooms past years at a time.

That being said, there are a handful of genuine arcs that feel worthy investment such as Freddy's relationship with Mary Astin. The conflict involved there with his sexuality and how much he valued her as a soulmate is very compelling to watch. Out of the moments that feel manufactured, the quality of the story rises whenever this subplot arises. The sequences involving the band and the concerts are very extravagant with the energy many have been looking forward to.

Rami Malek as Freddy Mercury: Rami's performance as the lead singer is great in how he delivers the description being shown in this biopic. While the man himself was rather secretive, the execution here was more of a man whose overconfidence and charisma provides engaging entertainment. He becomes unintentionally funny whenever he's fighting to keep the prosthetic teeth. Regardless of how cartoony flamboyant the direction is, the delivery by Malek more than makes up for it.

Characters: The other people to focus on are Mary Austin (Lucy Boyton) and the band members of Queen: Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon (Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, and Joe Mazzello). Mary is Freddy's girlfriend he shared a close and special connection with. Lucy brings a compassionate portrayal here to someone who was considered a soulmate and shares solid chemistry with Rami in their scenes together. The band members actors have a fun dynamic with one another and know how to access the dramatics needed for some of the emotional scenes of this close-knit group. A dishonorable mention goes to John Reid (Aidan Gillen) for being incredibly type cast for this role where he doesn't bring anything fresh as a result of his popularity from Game of Thrones as Little Finger.

Overall Consensus: Bohemian Rhapsody carries strength through great acting, some realistic scenes, and energetic concerts, while suffering from pacing issues, predictable narrative, and historical inaccuracies hindering some emotional investment. ⭑⭑⭑1/4💻 Runtime: 2 hours 14 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of Queen and their music. You like any of the aforementioned actors. You don't mind average generic biopics with an altered history. You want to hear the classic songs and see Rami Malek's performance.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of Queen and their music. You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You are bored with average generic biopics with an altered history.