“I Can’t Think of Anyone More Outrageous Than Me.”
Over the last few years, I’ve developed an interest (if not a complete appreciation) for Queen and their music. So, when I heard about Bohemian Rhapsody, I was intrigued. Still, I wasn’t interested enough to go out of my way to watch it. Fortunately, I ran across it on TV.
The movie tells the story of the rise, fall, and rise again of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), the front man of the rock band Queen. When we first meet him, he is a quiet young man living with his immigrant parents. But when he auditions for a band playing in the local bar, his stage presence and talent begin to raise them to national and international fame. With that comes new pitfalls, including egos among the band members, Freddie’s personal life, and those outside the group trying to use them.
Honestly, one reason I didn’t want to see the movie is because I could guess at the story with what very little I knew. And, honestly, there isn’t much here you can’t already guess even if you aren’t familiar with the band. It certainly shows how little fame, money, and sex really satisfy and the dangers that they can bring into your life if you aren’t careful. As such, in many ways it is a depressing movie.
The movie takes place over roughly 15 years, so there is a lot that is compressed, and I’m sure there is lots that is taken out. As a result, it is hard to get too involved in any one particular moment in time. However, I was impressed with how well they did at telling us a compelling story that was easy for this Queen novice to follow.
The climax comes during the band’s reunion for the late 80’s worldwide benefit concert Live Aid. As such, we actually get quite a bit of their performance. It isn’t a traditional climax, but it works.
And, over the course of the movie, we get quite a few other Queen hits in the soundtrack. No, this isn’t a musical as such, but it is a movie about a band, so it would be weird to not hear their music.
Rami Malek is phenomenal as Freddie Mercury. Again, I don’t have the context to compare him to the real thing, but I could easily see in his performance that he was being someone completely different. That’s not to take away from the rest of the actors, but he really is the focus of the movie.
The movie is rated PG-13 for the thematic elements I talked about earlier, sex more than anything else. That includes Freddie’s indulgence is his gay lifestyle. Keep that in mind when you go to watch.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a well-done movie that will appeal to fans of Queen. The rest of us won’t get as much out of it, and with its often-depressing storyline, it might not be for us.
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