Bohemian Rhapsody

I, like many, had hoped the controversy surrounding this movie would die after it finally got made. But sadly that's not the case. Shortly after the film was nominated for Oscars a new series of allegations were made against director Bryan Singer. Which is awful because a movie that should be a celebration of arguably the world's most famous bisexual was, in an incident of tragic irony, directed by a man who allegedly victimizes young gay men. It puts a pall over the lively, free, and inspirational man Freddie Mercury was. I can't confirm who knew what when, but he should never have been in the director's chair. There are scores of amazing LGBTQ+ directors who could've directed this, and chances are, directed it better. Ok rant over. Let's dig into the movie itself.

Following the life of Freddie Mercury from his induction into Queen and ending with the band's seminal performance at LiveAid, Bohemian Rhapsody details the band and man's ups and downs, how their music came to be, why they fell apart, and how they came back together.

I can see why there's a critical/audience split on this movie. For critics this is a by the numbers biopic that takes a lot of liberties with its subject timeline for narrative heft (of particular note the timing of Mercury's lethal diagnosis). For audiences the movie is something akin to a Freddie Mercury victory lap with reminders about what made him great with a couple of humanizing flaws.

For me, this is a decent but noticeably flawed once over movie.

The movie predominantly coasts on music movie cliches and the band's unique energy (especially from Freddie). the film is a series of moments you've seen before with a Queen or Freddie-esque twinge. Freddie's introduction to the band? Pure charisma and a rocking voice. The big decision that gets them into the big time? Looks like Freddie's got big eyes and a ton of faith. That time the label executive doesn't believe in the album or "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a single? You all know what's going to happen, but we get to laugh at the record exec and how awesome the band is regardless. It's predictable but fun.

The film also does a great job of selecting cuts from Queen's catalog. Sometimes it's a familiar studio version, but they also plug in distinctive live versions that highlight Freddie's showmanship and the band's crisp musicianship. This is especially the case for the LiveAid segment which operates as the film's climax. I've heard/seen so many versions of this performance, because it's legendary, but this is the best it's ever sounded. The remaster team did phenomenal work.

The bits in between the music making...drag. Remi Malek definitely acts his butt off and perfectly captures Mercury's onstage persona. In the quieter scenes he's usually acting one of two ways. Either emotionally desperate while trying to hide it or a nonstop quip machine. Malek nails it, but the well runs dry by the hour mark. It also doesn't help that the movie lacks visual flair as soon as the music stops. They lean really heavy on Mercury's evolving wardrobe as a demonstration of character over action.

You can also tell that this movie struggled to give Queen's career a movie friendly structure. A movie requires building tension (in this case in Mercury's personal life and with the band) that's neatly resolved by the film's end. It feels too neat here, especially considering the fascinating stories behind the band's last recordings together, and makes it feel like LiveAid was somehow the end of Queen (it wasn't).

I think Queen fans will be pretty torn about this movie, because they'll be happy it exists and that they get to hear new live recordings and see a part of Freddie's story. But the screenplay feels incomplete. I get why they did it, but I wanted something deeper and less traditional (seems suiting right?).

Verdict: Skates By On Freddie's Gravitas

Bohemian Rhapsody isn't a great biopic, but its legendary subject and his band's amazing music make it an ok once-over. I'd definitely get the soundtrack though. 6/10