Bohemian Rhapsody
[Devin Dayley]
Year Released: 2018
Director: Bryan Singer
Stars:
Rami Malek
Lucy Boynton
Gwilyn Lee
General Summary:
This film tells about the formation and fame of the legendary rock band, Queen, and its famous frontman, Freddie Mercury. It is the story that ends at their performance at the 1985 charity concert, Live Aid.
Review:
I LOVE this movie! It is my second favorite movie of 2018. I love the music of Queen, though, so I probably would have loved this movie regardless, just because it was about Queen even if it was horrible.
Let me start by talking, of course, about Rami Malek’s performance. He has been and still is getting so much talk about his performance as the flamboyant Freddie Mercury. He deserves every accolade he gets because he does that good! During this film, I felt like I was watching Freddie Mercury and not Rami Malek playing Freddie Mercury. I was, and am still, awe-struck when I see him speak and walk in real life and discover that he is not like the person he portrays in the film. To me, that is the mark of a great actor, the ability to surprise people with new ways of acting.
The ensemble of this film, especially Lucy Boynton, who plays Mary Austin, and Gwilyn Lee, who plays Brian May, are amazing. Lucy Boynton was able to portray an innocent, nurturing vibe, which would be why Freddie fell in such deep love with her, and Gwilyn Lee was able to portray Brian May’s peacekeeping, sensible nature. At the end of the day, though, this is Rami’s film. He is nearly iconic playing the already iconic Freddie Mercury.
Bryan Singer. Oh, Bryan Singer. I am able to look past him and his transgressions and still love the film for what it is. Some people are not, and I totally respect that, however, I am. That is all I will say on the subject of him.
There are people are critical of the film because it does not accurately display the drug/party culture of the time. My opinion is that enough is shown to let you know what is happening. Honestly, you would kind of have to be naive to know what is happening. This film could have easily been dark and depressing but it wasn’t because they did not linger too much on the dark times of Freddie’s life.
*SPOILER ALERT* There are shots in this film that are incredible. The scenes of Freddie and Mary flickering their lamp lights back and forth perfectly illustrates Freddie’s loneliness. The upward camera angle with Freddie low and in the front combined with Mary higher up and in the back makes for a good juxtaposition between Freddie’s and Mary’s lives. There is also a shot of Freddie laying on the bed with a notepad that says “Queen” on it above him. That was a great shot. There are multiple scenes where scenes are reflected in Freddie’s aviator sunglasses, just like in the poster. I love a good shot in films that contains reflections. When Freddie walks into a club at the beginning, the gritty, dirty nature of the club is perfectly shown with smoke and lights.
The fact that it was raining at the climax of the movie, when Mary goes to Munich to see Freddie, is just perfect. Rain, in movies, symbolizes great sadness which coincides perfectly with Freddie’s state in life at that point.
Oof! This review is going on for too long!
The first time I saw this I would’ve rated it an 8.6/10. After seeing it multiple times, though, I’d rate it a 9.2/10.
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