By: Ryan Fuemmeler
Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen biopic film, was released on November 2, 2018. The film follows the band’s journey from starting out playing in small English pubs to taking the big stage at the Live Aid concert of 1985. The film stars Rami Malek, known for his work on the hit TV show, Mr. Robot, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, John Mazzello as John Deacon, and Gwilym Lee as Brian May. So far, Bohemian Rhapsody has accumulated $100 million domestically with an additional $185 million worldwide for its $55 million budget.
Surprisingly, Bohemian Rhapsody, received poor reviews from film critics alike. Comments were made on the plot, venting about inaccuracies only used to push a false narrative. Many critics stated they gave the film at least one star because of Rami Malek’s performance and the soundtrack. Despite these opinions, audience ratings are significantly higher and box office flow continues in. Personally, as well, I did not find major problems within the film. I genuinely enjoyed it as a slightly more harsh than average movie goer.
First of all and most obvious, Rami Malek’s acting as the fabulously iconic Freddie Mercury was A+. Dare I say, A+++. Malek completely embodied the role as Freddie, capturing his unique essence and spunk. There was never a moment, where the viewer could feel unattached from the biography. Malek’s beautiful performance immediately draws the audience into the story with his flawless illustration of vivacity and charisma. Not to mention, the stage performances throughout the film were unbelievable. To begin, the concert choreography is spot on, and Malek takes it above and beyond by exuding the energy and excitement of Freddie Mercury on stage.
A video posted to Twitter on Sunday the 11th shared a side by side comparison between the real Live Aid concert footage to the shots presented in the movie. The video is captioned, “I DIDN’T REALIZE THEY DID IT THIS PRECISELY.” This is quite a fitting caption as the similarities between the two are astounding, They may not even be considered similarities because the Live Aid concert within Bohemian Rhapsody is exactly like the original. Rami Malek uses the exact same movements and choreography as Freddie Mercury did in 1985. This attention to detail is incredible and greatly boosts the spirit of the film. The video is below!
Secondly, the soundtrack is stunning. Clearly, Queen’s more iconic songs were used throughout the movie, but that is simply because they are, well, iconic. Queen produced so many songs that still live on today as bops. Growing up, I can remember hearing Queen’s music all the time. Back then, I was unaware that one single band created all these songs I heard throughout my youth.  It is insane how quintessential their music has become, and the killer soundtrack just validates that.
Smaller, yet still appreciated, details include the cinematography, colors, and costuming. I am a stickler for interesting and exciting shots and color pallets within movies. Bohemian Rhapsody lived up to my standards, though. The entirety of the movie was beautifully shot with dynamic colors and lighting. The costumes also went along with the great production design as well. The costuming, specifically Freddie’s, was spot-on to pieces he would wear!
Overall, despite some few inaccuracies within the plot that only large Queen fans would notice, the story, cinematography, costumes, acting, and soundtrack make the movie definitely worth watching. On a more personal note, I would argue Bohemian Rhapsody will, for sure, stay within my top five favorite movies from 2018, which says a lot about my usually critical film taste. Bohemian Rhapsody is honestly just down-right perfect and I urge you to see it.