With the release of last year's
Rocketman, the critically acclaimed biography based on the life of Elton John, one felt it was only appropriate to go back and revisit 2018's smash hit titled
Bohemian Rhapsody, the biographical drama based on the life of Freddie Mercury, lead singer of the British rock band named Queen as well as showing the assembling of the group. Directed by
The Usual Suspects and
X-Men filmmaker Bryan Singer ( A name that's come under heavy controversy as well as blacklisting due to recent allegations of sexual misconduct committed by the acclaimed filmmaker), the film ran into controversy during filming with Singer being replaced by Dexter Fletcher due to constant absence, as well as clashing with both the cast and crew. Despite being fired halfway through filming, Singer still managed to receive sole directors credit thanks to the guidelines of the Directors Guild Of America. Even though the film experienced issues during production, the end result became a huge success with the film grossing over $900 million worldwide along with winning a total of 4 Academy Awards including a well-deserved Best Actor win for Rami Malek's incredible performance as Freddie. Now celebrated as being the biggest musical biopic of all time,
Bohemian Rhapsody is most deserving of it's acclaim and box office success as the story is well-balanced, extremely well-told, and wonderfully acted by it's main cast, particularly Malek who steals the show as Mercury. The film works as being an entertaining yet fitting portrait of one of the most iconic musical bands in pop culture, as well as presenting a fairly humble portrait of it's leader.
The story for
Bohemian Rhapsody follows the life of Freddie Mercury with the film showing his partnering with the other members of Queen's band, as well as their temporary separation and ultimate reunion for their Live Aid 1985 performance at the original Wembley Stadium. Given that the film is basically an ensemble piece revolving around the formation of Mercury and his band,
Bohemian Rhapsody proved to be the ideal project for director Bryan Singer to helm given his previous success with juggling sizable ensemble casts with
The Usual Suspects and the X-Men franchise. Singer also appears to deliver his strongest work when it's centered around individuals, that are deemed to be unusual or eccentric by society, making the character and real life figure of Freddie Mercury to be a story that he can properly bring to the big screen along with making it relatable to today's audiences. The film has all the right elements to make it work as being a highly entertaining biographical drama from a stunning visual style of the film from its impressive cinematography to the strong performances from the main cast, combined with solid direction from Singer. The film essentially makes the formation of the Queen's band up until their Live Aid performance, a fun yet wild ride with Mercury's character being the heart of the story. The film presents two different sides of Mercury to the audience with the first being the musician Freddie that's on stage, and the second being the Freddie that feels hurt, isolated, and alienated when he reaches his prime. The film does a very good job with balancing both the entertainment aspects of it's story with the drama and soundtrack that combines all the Queens greatest hits. With
Bohemian Rhapsody, Bryan Singer aims to not just make the film a bland and boring musical biopic, but adds flavor and charm to the film with showing the rise of Mercury along with the formation of his band to be a fun yet insightful ride for audiences.
A key element that makes
Bohemian Rhapsody work as a strong biographical drama, is the top notch performances of its main cast with the most direct praise being delivered to Rami Malek for his spot on portrayal as Freddie. Malek is incredible in the films title role conveying so many different emotions as Freddie, while showcasing impressive dance moves with his moments on stage. The films success was always going to rely on the filmmakers casting choice for the role of Mercury and thankfully, Malek not only meets the demands the role required but goes beyond people's expectations of him playing the part from his physical acting as Freddie down to brilliantly conveying the characters emotions. Lucy Boynton also delivers a strong performance as Mercury's former fiance Mary Austin with the film placing heavy emphasis on their relationship with them beginning as lovers to showing their relationship becoming more distant due to Freddie's lust for other men. As for the rest of the members of Queen's band, Gwilym Lee shines as the bands lead guitarist Brian May along with Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor and Joe Mazzello as Queen's bass guitarist John Deacon. The rest of the supporting cast proves to be effective with Aidan Gillen impressing as Queen's manager John Reid, Allen Leech as Mercury's shady personal manager and lover Allen Leech, Tom Hollander as Queen's lawyer later turned manager Jim Beach, and Mike Myers in a surprising appearance as EMI executive Jim Hutton, who didn't believe in Queen's band in the beginning with him later shown to regret his decision to pass on them. In terms of the films overall cast, everyone delivers terrific performances while adding both believability, and charisma to their roles. Everyone looks and feels like they were the ideal casting choices for their roles while add something to the film with the roles their given. One can genuinely feel the enthusiasm and dedication the actors clearly display on the big screen in regards to bringing the formation of Queens band (As well as Mercury's story) to the big screen.
Another aspect of the film that works outside of its strong cast as well as its killer soundtrack, is the films noteworthy directing with Bryan Singer delivering one of his strongest directorial works yet. Given that Singer's track record prior to
Bohemian mainly consisted of comic book-oriented films and dark mystery thrillers, he manages to direct a strong musical biopic which often feels like a roller-coaster with the combination of being both compelling and dramatic. Singer excels at balancing out his cast of key players very well while keeping Mercury as the stories centerpiece. He handles Freddie's story in a way that's both humble and dignifying with the extreme moments of his life being portrayed in a form that doesn't feel excessive nor graphic. The film makes no effort to hide the fact that Mercury was a extremely talented yet flawed musician who lived a wild lifestyle. Singer however, chooses to show those aspects of Freddie's life in a way that doesn't feel degrading nor seedy, rather just as a reminder that he wasn't perfect. The films visual look gives the story a genuine feeling of authenticity with the set locations and costume designs accurately fitting the era in which the story takes place. The films editing and score by John Ottomon, a frequent collaborator of Bryan Singer, does a terrific job with keeping the story unfolding at a steady pace without harming the films structural narrative along with showing the birth of the Queen's band and their personal hurdles. Ottomon also does well with filling the movie with tons of the bands music in a clever effort to keep the juice and energy of the story flowing. What Singer does well with the film is trying to avoid making a typical by-the numbers biopic, but give the story a life of its own, making it a celebration of both the band and its main leading singer. It's the directors noteworthy effort to tell the story along with the passion, the energy, respect, and attention to detail that went into its production that makes it standout and worthy of praise. The films climactic Live Aid sequence is one that the whole team behind the movie should be most proud of as it's stunning to watch.
The films writing by Anthony McCarten and story by Peter Morgan serves as both the films strength as well as the element that's drawn significant criticism from audiences in regards to the historical accuracy of the story. Some of the criticisms aim at the timeline of events in the story ranging from Freddie being diagnosed with AIDS two years after the events of Live Aid and not prior like the film shows in a fashion that's both moving and effective. The film also manages to get wrong the timing of the release of specific songs that the Queen's band did, though these changes appear to be done for dramatic effect rather than deliberately aiming to harm the narrative of the story. The script does a fairly strong job of keeping the narrative focused on the assembling of the band with the Live Aid performance being the films big payoff in the climax. The script also manages to find the right tone in regards to depicting Freddie's life with the band as well as his personal one, creating a striking distinction from
The Rocketman with its ability to tell Mercury's story with a PG-13 rating. The story might've taken a formulaic approach at times in regards to presenting the story of the Queen's band, but it gives a great dose of strength to its overall message which says that family can be made up of the most unlikely people. That message is driven home through the films narrative showing how the band assembled, temporarily separated, and ultimately came back together for a performance that ultimately became a defining one for Queen's.
Bohemian Rhapsody is not without its faults as a biographical musical piece but it does a damn fine job of taking what could've easily been a bland and generic story and add both style and flavor to it with a moving story regarding how a group of musicians and strangers found each other, united, and ultimately became not just one of the greatest rock groups of all time, but a family of their own. The story is one that's well-told with great performances (Rami Malek absolutely deserves his Oscar win), strong directing and a killer soundtrack that makes
Bohemian work not just as a faithful biographical drama but an experience for the audience. The film has the power to turn those who aren't necessarily familiar with the band nor the legacy of Freddie Mercury, and make them into fans through the showcasing of their greatest works as well as the humanity behind their story.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a film that's well-deserving of its success and will both entertain and rock audiences to maximum effect. If one enjoyed Elton John's effective biographical drama
The Rocketman, they too will enjoy and appreciate the dedication and heart that went into bringing this story to the big screen in a way that makes it feel epic. Unquestionably one of the best films of 2018.
Final Verdict: For Freddie Mercury fans as well as those who enjoy a solid musical biography,
Bohemian Rhapsody lives up to the hype.
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