I have been so looking forward to seeing this movie and can’t believe it’s been put a month already
I’m sure you are all aware this movie is a bio-pic of sorts of the 1970-80’s British rock band Queen and it’s flamboyant front man Freddy Mercury. Their song Bohemian Rhapsody, panned by critics when first released, continuation be a hit more than thirty years later
This movie will absolutely not be confused with this year’s earlier music based hit movie A Star is Born (my rating, A). They are two divergently different movies, though there are common threads strung throughout both.
First, before the movie even begins Rami Malek, who portrays Freddy, is on screen thanking the viewing audience for coming to the movie, we, are the champions. Love it! (FYI for you youngsters We are The Champions was. Big Queen hit). The last screen of the credits, and yes we stayed for all the credits, thanks the more than 50,000 people over the years that helped create the movie. It is touches like these that welcome you into the Queen”family”. Band mates described themselves as family, misfits with nothing in common but the music they created
Ok, let’s get to it. If you believe the storyline of the movie, Freddy who was engaged to Mary in the early 1970’s did not question his sexuality until 1977. HELLO!!! There was the slightest dusting in the plot line of drug and alcohol abuse. PLEASE! Queen’s former manager Jim “Miami” Beech co produced this movie along with support from band mate Brian May, hence comes the cleaning up of the script. Freddy Mercury was a brilliant singer and performer,a true showman but this sanitized version of his life is a bit disappointing. Freddy, like JACKSON of a Star is Born, surrounded themselves with entourages that ultimately lead to both there demise. Neither Mary not Ally could save their loves from their demons.
The performance scenes are amazing especially Live Aid. Fun fact, the movie reenacts the actual full performance at Wembley Stadium in 1985. Rami Malek’s performance is so perfect, it’s as though Freddy was cloned. Towards the end of the movie, Freddy reconciled with his father and embraced the credo “good thoughts, good words, good deeds”. Values his father tried to instill in Freddy’s youth, now more meaningful as he accepts his AIDS diagnosis.
This was very enjoyable movie. It’s a biopic, so it doesn’t have a suspenseful plot line of other movies, it gives you something else. This is the real life story of an individual who migrated to England with a dream, little support but always followed his vision.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a solid B. Don’t wait for Redbox, you really need to see this on the big screen
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