Bohemian Rhapsody

In The 70’s, four young men formed a rock band called “Queen” led by the late frontman, Freddie Mercury, guitarist, Brian May, bassist, John Deacon & drummer, Roger Taylor. The band is known for their distinctive style of fusing the rock genre combined with other musical genres making their creativity unique, less formulaic. During their formative years, the band released albums including “Sheer Heart Attack,” “A Night At The Opera,” “News Of The World,” “A Kind Of Magic” just to name a few. In 1991, Freddie shocked the world that he’s been living with AIDS. 24 Hours Later, he tragically passed away.

Queen’s musical legacy inspired many rock bands & musicians such as Metallica, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Radiohead, Red Hot Chill Peppers, Kid Rock, Lady Gaga, The Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, Trent Razor among many others.

In 2008, a biopic film based on Freddie Mercury & the band took a decade to craft a storyline during their early years and Freddie’s personal life. Brian May & Roger Taylor served as producers with support from Brian’s good friend, Robert De Niro. In 2010, Sacha Baron Cohen was in talks to portray the legendary frontman, but he dropped out due to creative differences. I believe he wanted to explore Freddie’s flaw on how he got AIDS cranked up to 11. Brian & Roger later confirmed that Sacha is identified as a comic actor known for pranking people onset without taking a motion picture seriously.

Four Years Later, Emmy award winning actor, Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) signed on to portray Freddie Mercury. Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, the X-Men series, Superman Returns) also signed on to direct the film. Filming begin in 2017. At first things were gonna ok, until Bryan constantly shows up late onset, having hissy fits towards the cast & crew. After Harvey Weinstein turned out to be a rapist, The #MeToo Movement uncovered Bryan’s rumored sexual harassment stories forcing him to flee like a dirty coward refusing to label himself as a “sex offender.” As a result, Dexter Fletcher replaced Bryan to finish the entire film.

After a troubled production, Bohemian Rhapsody finally came out on November 2, 2018. Despite earning mixed reception, the film is currently making dough at the box office. I think the mixed reactions are connected to Bryan’s “behavior.” Think of it as a Cause & Effect Scenario.

We already know about Freddie’s untimely death, so I’ll keep the band’s origins & Freddie’s early life labeled as a non-spoiler review. Feel free to read this article.

Royal & Unroyal Aspects

Royal: Rami Malek did an amazing job for his performance as Freddie Mercury. To prepare for the role, he researched Freddie’s life, watching footage to study his mannerisms, accent & onstage antics. I’m gonna give him an Extra Point for all that hard work.

Additional Cast Members such as Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aiden Gillian, (Littlefinger from Game Of Thrones) all did a good job for their performances.

Bryan Singer did a decent job for directing, PRIOR to Fox tossing him out on set. Dexter Fletcher took over Bryan’s place to finish filming. Dexter is uncredited as a director because the Directors Guild Of America has a rule for only one director can be credited, unless a duo like The Coen Brothers are allowed to be credited as siblings by blood or adoption. Dexter is credited as an executive producer.

Many scenes recreate Queen’s notable moments including Live Aid, rock tours & music videos.

Character Development involving Freddie. He goes from a male diva who doesn’t want anybody to control him, to a flawed and respectful human being who deeply cares about his band mates as his family.

Chemistry between Freddie, Brian, Roger & John felt natural as they’re friendship is the main highlight of the film.

The film recreates both time periods of The 70’s & 80’s.

Costume Designers replicated Freddie’s flamboyant yet iconic outfits.

Queen’s signature songs are used in pivotal scenes. I’m giving the producers Bonus Points for including “Who Wants To Live Forever.” It’s my personal favorite song from the band. For those who don’t know where the song originated, it was featured in Highlander.

Mike Myers makes an appearance as an EMI record producer. Mike is a huge fan of Queen. As you may know, Wayne’s World used Bohemian Rhapsody in the opening scene of the movie.

If you remember the trailer, we get to witness how the titular song was conceived in the first place.

The main plot focuses on Freddie’s career & personal life, most notably his sexuality alongside his life threatening disease. Hear me out radical bible thumping conservatives, (that means you Isaiah Washington) it doesn’t go overboard like Brokeback Mountain & Brüno. If you’re gonna watch it with your family, don’t be intolerant.

The Fox logo begins with a guitar riff performed by Brian May. Hearing a hard rock version of the logo, indicates us movie goers are ready to rock.

Freddie’s birth name is briefly mentioned.

Famous bands & musicians were mentioned as performers at Live Aid.

Before the credits roll, footage shows the actual band performing onstage and a reminder that a foundation is dedicated to Freddie to raise AIDS awareness.

The Third Act gets better showing the last scene. Can’t tell you about it. You’re gonna have to watch and find out.

Unroyal: “We Will Rock You” wasn’t released in the early 80’s, it was already around in the late 70’s from the album, “News Of The World.”

Cinematography can be shaky at times. Did a sugar crazed Mac (from Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends) worked as the cameraman?

The Final Verdict: B, FOR BREAKTHRU! (As in the song)

Bohemian Rhapsody is a decent biopic film that’ll keep you entertained from the beginning, middle & end. If you’re a fan of Queen like me, go ahead and give this movie a watch. It deserves recognition for a new generation of fans.

R.I.P. Freddie Mercury. Your legacy will never be forgotten.