Bohemian Rhapsody: a controversial Freddie Mercury biopic that receives both positive and negative comments from the public
Spoiler Alert! This movie review contains possible spoilers from Bohemian Rhapsody.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a biographical film centered around the life of Freddie Mercury, the vocalist and leader of classic British rock band, Queen. The movie is directed by Bryan Singer and produced by 20th Century Fox, Regency Enterprises, Queen Films, and GK Films. The production of the film was announced in 2010, but languished for several years after Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor originally slotted to play Freddie Mercury, left due to conflicting ideas with the producers. Nevertheless, Bohemian Rhapsody has been successfully released at the end of 2018, and has since earned great recognition from the public.
Instead of focusing exclusively on Queen, the movie shines a spotlight on Freddie Mercury’s rise and tragic fall. The film doesn’t follow a chronological order, with the opening scene depicting Mercury and the members of the band about to perform on the huge stage at Bob Geldof’s benefit concert, Live Aid. This prelude skillfully foreshadows the ending while creating suspense. The time period of the scene then jumps back to 1970 in London, when Mercury, also known as Farrokh “Freddie” Bulsara, worked as a baggage handler. The formation of Queen and Mercury’s journey to stardom started when Mercury encounters guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor at a pub. With Mercury’s extraordinary vocal ability and the arrival of bassist John Deacon, Queen is born. The band performs at various stages around the world and gradually receives fame. However, as Queen becomes more famous, Mercury begins to get confused with his identity and sexuality.
Bohemian Rhapsody won multiple accolades from the entertainment community, including winning Best Actor (Rami Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing while also being nominated for Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars. The movie also triumphed at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild. Based on the numbers of awards, it is easy to conclude that Bohemian Rhapsody is a favorite of the public. However, the film received mixed reviews from critics.
Critics from various movie review sites expressed opinions that vary on a wide scale. Most reviewers on Rotton Tomatoes consent that the movie “hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection.” A.O. Scott, the author of “Bohemian Rhapsody Review: Another One Bites the Dust” on New York Times, offers similar opinions. He states that the movie is a “Lego palace of clichés” (Scott) that lacks detailed descriptions of the band’s success and the psychological insight of Mercury’s “homosexual desire” (Scott). The movie tends to avoid the portrayal of the artist’s confusion regarding sexuality and loneliness, which prevents many from connecting to the story.
Despite critics pointing out various problems regarding Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie received quite a lot of positive reviews from the public. On CinemaScore and Post Tank, the audience gave the film an A on an “A+ to F” scale and 88 out of 100. Critics on Irish Independent stated that this movie “is not big on subtlety… but I must say I was thoroughly entertained” (Whitington). Also, reviewers on The Spectator claimed that Bohemian Rhapsody’s success at the Oscars is a “triumph over snobby film critics” (Young).
Although the movie is viewed from two extreme point of views, Bohemian Rhapsody is considered as a success when it comes to spreading Mercury’s legendary life and Queen’s remarkable works to modern society.
Featured Image: Members of the band Queen Photo Courtesy of Pinterest
by Selina Tai