Bohemian Rhapsody: Movie Review

"Bohemian Rhapsody" played it safe presenting the crazy life of its lead character Freddie Mercury in a very safe and PG-rated manner. While there were glimpses of the darker portions of his storied career, "Bohemian Rhapsody" felt like a biopic full of missed opportunities. But we won't dismiss that as a music film, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was supremely entertaining and captivating.

Retrace the steps of the meteoric rise of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and the band Queen through their timeless songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury's lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of their historic Live Aid performance - considered as one of the greatest live performances ever onstage and the greatest one in its genre.

We wanted to love "Bohemian Rhapsody" and in fact, there were a lot of moments that it was able to simply leave us breathless. Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, the various live concert performances, and the final scene which recreated the iconic Live Aid concert almost from point to point were elements that made the film at least memorable. If you look at it as a musically-focused experience, "Bohemian Rhapsody" shouldn't disappoint. But the film is not a purely concert release or is it a musical. At its most basic, it is a biopic focusing on one of the legends of rock, Freddie Mercury. Unfortunately, on this regard, "Bohemian Rhapsody" failed to be intimate and compelling. It was as if the producers wanted to avoid any controversial materials to affect the legacy of its lead character and the band. There were still dark moments that the film did tackle like Freddie's sexuality, depression. loneliness, spats with his band members and more but half of the issues Freddie encounters in the movie were skimmed through without much explanation or development. The film's screenplay just felt too safe and compromised. But things do get better. Personally, we hated the first half but found the second half a lot better in showing the real struggles of Freddie. As mentioned earlier, Rami Malek provided a memorable performance as Freddie Mercury. There were a lot of times that we actually forgot we were watching an actor and not Freddie Mercury himself. His performance is the real deal and felt authentic. Overall, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a disappointment and at the same time entertaining. How we wish that it took more focus in its biopic elements to have made this into the perfect tribute film for one of the most remarkable performers of all-time.

Rating: 3 and a half reels




Why you should watch it:
- musical performances are what makes this movie worth the ticket price
- Rami Malek blurred the lines between himself and Freddie Mercury

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- as a biopic, this felt very shallow and unsatisfying