Queen Biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Doesn't Bite the Dust

After months of being incredibly excited about this film and talking about it to anyone who would listen, I finally got to see Bohemian Rhapsody. Here I intend to give my honest review of it – forgetting what other critics have said and what friends and family have said. This is a review of my own experience with Bohemian Rhapsody.

The film is a Freddie Mercury/Queen biopic following the band from ‘birth’ to when they performed at ‘Live Aid’. It isn’t afraid to tackle Mercury and his eccentric lifestyle (although of course, the film is a 12A, so it is ever so slightly toned down for a younger audience). It shows the conflicts within the band, Freddie’s sexuality, race, and his diagnosis with AIDS which would eventually kill him.

This film really struggled to get made in the first place. For those who don’t know, Malek stepped in to replace Sacha Baron Cohen, and director Dexter Fletcher stepped in to replace Bryan Singer. To be honest it’s an achievement this film managed to get made at all, so I think we need to consider that when we’re criticising it. These things are bound to affect the film, but hey, isn’t it kind of ironic that the turbulence of making the film can be seen to reflect the turbulence of Mercury’s life?

Rami Malek was excellent as Freddie Mercury. He really channelled how eccentric and flamboyant he was. He strutted around the stage with ease and really did make a good attempt with Freddie’s accent. The only thing I wasn’t too keen on was the overbite. Yes, Freddie had a prominent overbite, we can’t deny that, but the film made it look fake; it really did look like a prosthetic. He looks a bit like a Simpsons character come to life. I was thinking especially a Mr. Burns vibe. It’s not a good look. (And I’m sorry if you haven’t seen the film yet because that’s all you’ll be able to focus on now).

In terms of Freddie’s sexual orientation and sexuality: it was handled a bit...shakily? An attempt was definitely made - and so it should be, because it was a very important part of Freddie’s life. Almost every LGBT person considers their LGBT identity as considerably important to them. In this film, Mercury’s sexuality came across in a bit of an odd way; it was never truly made clear to the audience whether Freddie was gay or bisexual. I assume most people know that he was bisexual, but the film was a bit misleading in that after his relationship with Mary, he only showed interest in other men. Freddie does say he is bisexual, but it’s overshadowed by the fact that Mary immediately says “you’re gay” straight after it. So, Freddie has said he is Bi, but was immediately negated by someone else telling him (and, let’s face it, the audience) that he is gay. This does rub me the wrong way because surely out of everyone Freddie himself should have the authority on his own sexuality – not anyone else. He should have been the one to have the final word on it, but in the film, it is Mary that has the last piece of dialogue on the subject. It’s a very picky thing but I do feel like it could be a bit misleading if you’re not very knowledgeable about Freddie’s personal life.

How I Felt When I Left the Film

In terms of how I felt when I left the film, I have to say I was in borderline tears. The Live Aid scene was very powerful, and the very end of the film was beautiful and respectfully done. But I also felt something else…a slight discomfort? There are certain scenes in this film which are hard to sit through – the racism, the homophobia, the reliance on substance abuse. This film didn’t shy away from that and it leads to some rather uncomfortable scenes that left you thinking “he deserved better”.

Overall, I really like this film despite what the critics may say about it. Critics did not like this film – I’ve seen a lot of 2/5 star reviews for it. But do you know what? The audience loves it. In the film it mentions that when the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" came out, the critics hated it – they said no radio station would ever play the song – but the fans loved it and now it is one of the most famous songs in history. And I think it’s quite fitting and oddly bittersweet that the film follows in the same fashion (although sadly it probably never will be quite as famous as the song).

I would give this film 4/5 stars. Bohemian Rhapsody is in Cinemas Now.