Movie Review

It’s shameful that I am just reviewing this movie now! I have no excuses!

I really don’t! I had fully intended to see this film when it opened but the stars wouldn’t align, and every time I tried to go see it, I wouldn’t have a sitter, or something would come up. Then as more time went by, I just figured I would wait until I could rent it. But, it’s my husband who is the diehard Queen fan in our house, so I couldn’t watch it without him. Then he had the nerve to watch it without me!!! Huh, maybe I do have excuses lol!

Anyway, I finally watched it (After Rami Malek won a bloody oscar for it), and I enjoyed it!

Bohemian Rhapsody (Release Date: November 2018)

Stars: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, and Gwilym Lee

Director: Bryan Singer

Rating/ Runtime: 2hrs 14/ PG

The story of the legendary rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).

My Thoughts…

Rami Malek is fan-frickin-tastic!

For me, he was everything good about the film, not that there weren’t other great things, but he was brilliant. His portrayal of Freddie was masterful, if not a little creepy in its accuracy. It’s not surprising he won an oscar, he deserved it. It’s a shame due to the shocking events that transpired because of the director, this film didn’t achieve more.

That said, this is not a post about that, it’s a review of a film and its merits.

As I mentioned, “Freddie” was my favourite part. As a life-long fan of Queen, he really brought it all to life for me. I also thought Gwilym Lee was brilliant as Brian May. The other cast members were good, but these two actors were the most accurate in terms of recreating these larger than life musicians.

As for the film, I really liked it and found it entertaining, Predictably however, it barely scratched the surface. Of course I understand you cannot fit a lifetime into a 2 hour film, but the events and timeline were altered quite a bit in order to have the climactic Live Aid concert end the movie, but also reveal Freddie’s terminal diagnosis. If you’re a fan, you would know that Freddie did not tell anyone about his condition until long after this legendary concert, including his band mates. But like I said, they wanted to fit in the critical moments of his life, but end with the concert. It’s not inexcusable, but fans will notice.

If you recall, there was quite a bit of backlash from the LGBT community as well. Many people felt that there was not enough about Freddie’s sexuality, and too much emphasis on his relationship with Mary Austin. Again, if you are a big fan, and know a lot about his history, you will know that even after Freddie came to this huge realization about himself, Mary was still one of, if not the most important person in his life. Despite being incredibly private about his personal life, it was quite common knowledge that Mary was the love of his life, always. The song “Love of My Life” is about Mary Austin.

In my opinion, given that they had just over 2 hours to illustrate such huge parts of Freddie’s life, particularly his sexual orientation, the film does a pretty good job in its depiction.

I think this movie was supposed to be about the band, and the music as much as it was about Freddie Mercury. And as much as we wish we could have seen every inch of his life depicted on-screen, it would have been an impossible task.

Overall, it kept me entertained, it was evocative, and an extremely talented actor brought one of my favourite musicians to life in a way no other could. Now was it as good as seeing Queen perform live two summers ago? Hell no! Even without Freddie that was a once in a lifetime experience. But it is another way of keeping Freddie Mercury, and the music of Queen, alive for me and that makes it a great film in my eyes.

Rating… A

I will leave you with one of my favourite songs! Have a great weekend guys!

IMDb