BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

I TRIED MY BEST TO MAKE THIS POST AS SPOILER-FREE AS POSSIBLE, BUT STILL READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

(unless you’re not planning on watching the movie; in that case, just go ahead)

 “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”

I think that we’ve all heard or sung these lyrics at least once in our lives. Some of us might even be able to sing the entire song by heart, because despite being 43 years old, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is still iconic. And so is the man who wrote it and the band that’s performed it hundreds of times, Freddie Mercury and his band Queen.

Deciding to make a movie about the best band of the past 60 years was a risky bet, and the making of the movie itself wasn’t easy, but it is, in my humble opinion, one of the best movies of 2018.

The actors did an amazing job at portraying the band members: it felt like Rami Malek (Mr. Robot, Papillon and Night at the Museum) was a reincarnation of Freddie Mercury, the resemblance between Gwilym Lee (Midsomer Murders) and Brian May is striking, and they couldn’t have chosen a better actor than Joe Mazzello to portray John Deacon.

     

The work that was put into the re-creation of some of Queen’s most memorable concerts, such as their Live Aid performance, was impressive.

 

                           Live Aid, 1985                       Live Aid, Bohemian Rhapsody, 2018

Even though dozens of critics all around the world are complaining about this movie being too bland and messy, saying that it didn’t follow the real chronological order of events, I think that this movie gave me a better view of Freddie Mercury’s life. It gives us the opportunity to learn more about him and his personal life (his coming to terms with his sexuality, his fiancée Mary Austin…), and about the band in general.

So yes, this film might not win any Oscars, might not be the most brilliant one of the century, but it made me cry, laugh (thanks to: an exasperated Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor throwing the coffee machine at his bandmates, a brilliant arrangement showing a rooster yelling “Galileo”, and Rami Malek being a sassy “hysterical queen” throughout the movie), and sing “Don’t stop me now” on the streets at half past 9 P.M.

If you weren’t sure about watching Bohemian Rhapsody, I hope that this post helped you to make a choice, and if you have seen it, I’ll gladly talk about it with you 😊

Léna