Bohemian Rhapsody | Film Review

Hey Guys x

This is the last film that I needed to review, so after this, I'm completely done with the Oscar Best Picture nominees. This year there's actually been a really good selection of movies and I can't wait for Oscar night!

Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of Queen, one of the biggest and best rock bands in the entire world. We follow lead singer Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) through the ups and downs of his life, including Queen becoming a household name in time for the largest rock concert in history, Live Aid.

There's something intensely real about this film. While it doesn't seem to over-inflate the high moments, it also doesn't shy away from the low moments. We see how happy Freddie is on stage, and then we see him go back to his empty house and try to pretend that he's not insanely lonely. It's euphoric and heart-rending at the same time, and these conflicting feelings really work, as they are feelings that are replicated throughout the film.

The band's rise to fame happens extremely quickly. While they make this realistic by adding time-jumps, there isn't a lot of time to know the other band members (and to an extent, Freddie himself) before they became household names. Other than their names, you don't know much about them.

The lead-up to the creation of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (the song) is one of the best things about the film. It shows in detail the creative process that takes place over a few scenes, and leaves you dying to hear the full song.

The film does a great job of getting across how close the band were, probably due to the fact that original members of Queen served as producers on the film. The band had (at least in the first half of the film) a ride-or-die mentality that a lot of bands today lack.

Freddie's staggered demise is created really interestingly. There isn't one particular moment that causes his downfall, but a collection of actions and altercations that lead to his lowest moments.

This film had an amazing cast, and will probably give Rami Malek his first Oscar win, and to be completely honest, it's not hard to see why. He did an amazing job portraying this iconic character.

Having said all of this, as well as the fact that the film is said to not be 100% factual, the editing of the film was extremely choppy and felt rushed. In some scenes no one is talking and the camera is shifting back and forth between the faces of people who are just making random facial expressions.

In addition to this, while the acting was great, the film shies away from fully exploring the supporting characters that weren't in the band, such as Mary Austin and Jim Hutton. These characters felt a bit inauthentic.

Overall, everyone should definitely check this movie out. Even if you think that you're not a fan of Queen, once you've heard some of the songs, you'll realise how much of a fan you truly are.

7.5/10

Lou