Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) stars in the biopic of Queen frontman and musical legend Freddie Mercury. The film chronicles his rise and struggles with fame, his sexual identity, and what family really means.
Saying Malek’s performance as Mercury steals the film is an understatement. His presence on-screen absolutely conveys the feel of the larger-than-life icon.
Some scenes, where he’s performing alongside bandmates Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) stand out as the best, where he perfectly personifies Mercury to the point one could forget that he’s playing a character.
During the musical numbers, even though Malek is lip-syncing, his charisma completely makes up for it. Of course, if we’re talking about a movie centered around Queen, we must also talk about the soundtrack which, of course, is nothing but fantastic, providing most of the band’s best songs.
Thankfully, the film’s original score is kept at a minimum, not to discredit composer John Ottman’s work, but it was clear where their priorities were, and it was a good choice. However, the film is not without its faults and sadly, there are plenty.
While Bohemian Rhapsody shines bright during musical segments, it flounders during scenes centered around dialogue. Most of Malek’s castmates are not able to keep up with him and in turn, give forgettable performances—possibly due to a poor script. Another glaring problem is the film’s historical inaccuracies.
For example, in the film, we’re told that Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1985, two years before it actually happened.
Also, it is heavily implied that Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium is one of, if not its last. That’s also not true, given that they also performed at that very same stadium a year later, and toured all around the world until 1987. Some could argue these should not detract from the film itself, and that it should be judged by its own merits.
This is not the case. It could have been if the film had taken a more thematic and creative approach to Freddie’s life with its cinematography, but director Bryan Singer (who was replaced at the late stages of filming by Dexter Fletcher) created a more nuanced, safe and, in the end, by-the-numbers film.
This contrasts with Queen’s music, which bursts with uniqueness and always tries to avoid staleness, something that even the film states during one scene.
Overall, Bohemian Rhapsody serves as a showcase of Malek’s acting prowess, which could easily land him an Oscar nomination.
Apart from that, it’s a conventional biopic with some moments of greatness. It’s good, but it could’ve been great. In the end, the hammer didn’t fall as loud as it could have.
Graphic by Paloma Callo
