I've always been a fan of Queen. It probably helps that my Father is a huge fan of Queen too, so it was frequently being listened to on the radio, CD, vinyl, or DVD (and even on Youtube these days too). So really, I should have seen this movie long ago, seeing as it was in released in cinemas two and a half months ago. But screenings were often sold out or at inconvenient times, so it got pushed back further and further. Having won two Golden Globes since it's release, I decided I'd head in straight after work, stinking, still wearing a dirty, ripped hi-vis shirt and got a seat in a LUX theatre to put my feet up and see if the film was truly worth all of the hype.
While the film is biographical, it's important to note that certain liberties have been taken with details. There are inaccuracies that were included to streamline the movie, add tension, or simply in order to appeal to a larger audience and ensure that the film isn't too explicit to lose its PG13 rating. Whether it be changing when people met, what job certain people were doing, the status of the band, or even creating a fictitious character (who admittedly looks to have been based on a real person that was in the same corporate role), the film takes several liberties to keep the pace of the film moving.
Looking past the "fake news" inserted into the film, it struggles in a few areas. Trying to fit the formation of Queen up til the Live Aid performance into a single film, you are compacting 15 years of content (including 11 studio albums) of the bands' musical and personal lives into 133 minutes in a cohesive manner, is incredibly difficult; so the film tends to focus primarily on lead singer Freddie Mercury. Considering drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May were involved in the making of the film, it is easy to see why the film was done in this way.
There is no deep look at the surviving members of Queen. Nothing beyond the superficial aspects, and makes it look like Freddie was the only rebellious member of the group. It was as if he was in a rock band with people that didn't have a life outside of performing with the band. Wives and kids are mentioned, but May, Taylor, and Deacon's personal lives are curiously kept out of the film. Instead, we are given an exposé on Freddie Mercury.
It is safe to say that much of the rock and roll lifestyle is still left out (it is a PG13 film after all), but what Bohemian Rhapsody does oh so well, is to humanize the frontman. You see not only a rock god with a nearly unbeatable range of vocal prowess, but a person who struggles to come to terms with who he is, his identity, and struggles to separate true friends from fake friends.
There are some great scenes in the film, when you get to actually look at the creative processes of the band, experimenting with instruments and regular household items trying to create the perfect sound, but in general, the movie gives the impression that Queen had no strife or issues. They want a song that the crowd can participate in? Give them five minutes to write the song from scratch. Everything they do has no backlash or opposition, and it simplifies the musical process to the point that it is no longer an accurate representation.
Visually stunning. Rami Malek does an amazing job impersonating Freddie Mercury, despite some rather over the top dentures, and creates a very emotionally engaging experience. Ben Hardy and Gwilym Lee are also visually comparable to young Roger Taylor and Brian May. The climax of the film comes in the recreation of their Live Aid performance, and it is fantastically done, with the actors recreating the show near enough shot-for-shot, movement-by-movement, in high definition.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a glorified music video, but an enjoyable watch, with an unbeatable soundtrack.
While the film is biographical, it's important to note that certain liberties have been taken with details. There are inaccuracies that were included to streamline the movie, add tension, or simply in order to appeal to a larger audience and ensure that the film isn't too explicit to lose its PG13 rating. Whether it be changing when people met, what job certain people were doing, the status of the band, or even creating a fictitious character (who admittedly looks to have been based on a real person that was in the same corporate role), the film takes several liberties to keep the pace of the film moving.
Looking past the "fake news" inserted into the film, it struggles in a few areas. Trying to fit the formation of Queen up til the Live Aid performance into a single film, you are compacting 15 years of content (including 11 studio albums) of the bands' musical and personal lives into 133 minutes in a cohesive manner, is incredibly difficult; so the film tends to focus primarily on lead singer Freddie Mercury. Considering drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May were involved in the making of the film, it is easy to see why the film was done in this way.
There is no deep look at the surviving members of Queen. Nothing beyond the superficial aspects, and makes it look like Freddie was the only rebellious member of the group. It was as if he was in a rock band with people that didn't have a life outside of performing with the band. Wives and kids are mentioned, but May, Taylor, and Deacon's personal lives are curiously kept out of the film. Instead, we are given an exposé on Freddie Mercury.
It is safe to say that much of the rock and roll lifestyle is still left out (it is a PG13 film after all), but what Bohemian Rhapsody does oh so well, is to humanize the frontman. You see not only a rock god with a nearly unbeatable range of vocal prowess, but a person who struggles to come to terms with who he is, his identity, and struggles to separate true friends from fake friends.
There are some great scenes in the film, when you get to actually look at the creative processes of the band, experimenting with instruments and regular household items trying to create the perfect sound, but in general, the movie gives the impression that Queen had no strife or issues. They want a song that the crowd can participate in? Give them five minutes to write the song from scratch. Everything they do has no backlash or opposition, and it simplifies the musical process to the point that it is no longer an accurate representation.
Visually stunning. Rami Malek does an amazing job impersonating Freddie Mercury, despite some rather over the top dentures, and creates a very emotionally engaging experience. Ben Hardy and Gwilym Lee are also visually comparable to young Roger Taylor and Brian May. The climax of the film comes in the recreation of their Live Aid performance, and it is fantastically done, with the actors recreating the show near enough shot-for-shot, movement-by-movement, in high definition.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a glorified music video, but an enjoyable watch, with an unbeatable soundtrack.