BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Not long after its World Premiere a day before its release in the UK, Bohemian Rhapsody received mixed to negative reviews from critics. This was a shock because it was one of the most anticipated films of this year. While I was disappointed by the critical reception, I still went into my screening of Bohemain Rhapsody with high hopes. However, was it as bad as the critics are making it out to be?

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek). Mercury defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Mercury, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Mercury manages to reunite with his bandmates, Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Mercury leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.

One of the issues critics had with Bohemian Rhapsody was that its story was formulaic. To be honest, after viewing Bohemia Rhapsody, I don't really know what they're talking about as I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. As a viewer, I'm easily pleased. All I wanted from Bohemian Rhapsody was a film that told Mercury's story and showed the highs and lows of Queen's career. That's what I got. The film begins with Mercury meeting May and Taylor, who were already in a band called Smile. After their lead singer quits as he thinks the band is going nowhere, Mercury soon joins the group and they change their names to Queen. It's from here that we see their rise to fame and how they became the legendary rock band they are known as today. The story shows that it wasn't all plain sailing for Queen. Their most successful song, 'Bohemian Rhapsody', was, at first, refused by their producer, Ray Foster (Mike Myers) as it was too long and full of nonsense. This lead to Queen quitting and proving Foster wrong as 'Bohemian Rhapsody' went on to become one of their most successful songs. The story also gives us a small insight into Mercury's personal life, including his six year relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) who continued to support him after their relationship ended. I disagree with the critics who are describing the film's story as formulaic and I do find it a bit hypocritical, especially when many of the same critics gave Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born a higher rating. Now, I'm not saying A Star Is Born is a bad film (I loved it), but it is a third remake of a film that was first released in 1937. Bohemian Rhapsody is a biopic that shows the highs and lows of Queen's career and gives viewers an insight into Mercury's life. I've seen people complain that the film handles Mercury's sexuality poorly but, in my opinion, I think that, just because he was a world famous musician, doesn't mean we're entitled to know everything about him. Mercury did identify as bisexual and we do see him forming relationships with Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker), however, I don't think Mercury wanted his personal life splashed across newspapers and broadcasted on television. I think he wanted to be remembered for his music, not who he went to bed with, and that's what Bohemian Rhapsody is about. It shows how talented Mercury was as a musician and how much he loved performing. 

One of the biggest highlights of Bohemian Rhapsody is, undoubtedly, Malek's performance as Mercury. At first, I was unsure about his casting, however, he exceeded my expectations. He doesn't just act, he embodies Mercury's eccentric personality and thoroughly captures the energy he had on stage. By donning a fake moustache and teeth, he does really resemble the late singer. I'd be very surprised if Malek doesn't receive an Academy Award nomination for his acting next year. It's a very impressive performance and it's his best yet. The supporting cast all give good performances. Boynton shares chemistry with Malek and gives a strong portrayal of Austin. Lee, Hardy and Mazzello are all great as the other three members of Queen. Because the film chooses to focus more on Mercury, we don't see a great deal of their lives outside of Queen. However, I don't think May and Taylor, who were executive producers of Bohemian Rhapsody, were bothered about the film not showing their personal lives. I was impressed by Myer's performance as Foster as he was completely unrecognisable. I knew Myers was in the film, however, I didn't know who his character was until the credits were rolling up. While the supporting cast are all good and there isn't a bad performance from the cast, it's Malek who leaves a lasting impression.

Bohemian Rhapsody is at its best when Queen are performing some of their greatest hits. These scenes further prove why they were. and still are, the greatest rock bands of all time. Over the course of its 134 minute runtime, we see the stories behind their most legendary songs, including 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Killer Queen', 'We Are The Champions' and 'We Will Rock You'. Bohemian Rhapsody is worth seeing on the big screen just for the LiveAid sequence alone. The LiveAid concert is known as one of Queen's greatest performances. The footage of their performance is available to watch on YouTube so it's easy to compare the two scenes. The set designers built an impressive replica of the Wembley Arena, where Queen performed. For those who, like me, didn’t get to experience Queen or see their LiveAid performance, this scene gives you that experience. The scene frequently cuts to the audience at the concert and those watching the television broadcast. These cuts show how universally loved Queen were. Bohemian Rhapsody also further proves how universally loved and popular their songs are to this day, almost 50 years after they first formed. It is disappointing to see a film receive negative reviews, especially one that you were looking forward to seeing, however, no one should let another’s opinion prevent them from seeing a film. I went in expecting Bohemian Rhapsody to be a disappointment, however, I came out with a newfound respect and appreciation for Queen. I knew little about them going in and, while I don't claim to know everything just because I've seen the film, I now fully understand why they're known as one of the best rock bands in history.

​While I thoroughly enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody, there's no denying that production wasn't easy. While Bryan Singer, who is best known for directing four of the X-Men films, is credited as the director, his on-set behaviour was shocking. It has been said that Malek grew tired of Singer's 'erratic' behaviour, which saw him routinely showing up late to set or disappearing altogether. In 2017, after Thanksgiving break, Singer disappeared from filming for three days straight, at which point cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel had to step in and direct during Singer's non-showings. Reports claimed that Singer left because of a family matter. A couple of days after this report, 20th Century Fox fired Singer from the film due to his erratic behavior on and off set and clashes with production personnel. He was soon replaced by Dexter Fletcher who directed 16 days worth of filming and oversaw post-production. However, the Director's Guild of America states that only one director can be credited and, despite his behaviour on-set, Singer received sole credit. Tensions between cast and crew members can effect the quality of a film, however, I still found Bohemian Rhapsody to be a great film.
Bohemian Rhapsody may not be a perfect film, however, I'd say it's worth watching just for Malek's impressive portrayal of Freddie Mercury and Queen's exhilarating LiveAid performance.
8/10