This image released by Twentieth Century Fox shows Gwilym Lee, from left, Rami Malek and Joe Mazzello in a scene from "Bohemian Rhapsody." On Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, the film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best motion picture drama. The 76th Golden Globe Awards will be held on Sunday, Jan. 6. (Alex Bailey/Twentieth Century Fox via AP)
I have been waiting a long time for the Freddie Mercury biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Sacha Baron Cohen had originally tried to make the film for nearly 6 years before he left the project due to a conflict with the surviving members of the band. It was a surprise to hear that the film was going to finally be produced and with Rami Malek, of “Mr. Robot”, as the front man himself, Freddie Mercury.
At first, I was a little skeptical to see Rami Malek portray Freddie Mercury on the big screen, but as soon as I saw Malek in full makeup and costume I knew immediately that he was the right man for the job. He looks almost identical to Mercury and has completely nailed down his voice. In fact, everyone in this movie looks identical to their real-life counterparts.
The phenomenal performances and extreme attention to authenticity makes it really feel like you are watching the real members, not actors, reenact their life story. It was such a pleasant surprise to see that a lot of thought and care went into perfectly replicating what is arguably one of the best and influential music groups in history.
The movie itself plays out like most other biopics. It showcases all of the biggest moments of Freddie and the band’s life as well as showing some of the quieter and more intimate moments. From a technical perspective, everything is really solid and on point. The sound design, set design, and cinematography may not be groundbreaking per se, but that really isn’t what this movie or any biopic for that matter is about.
The only negative about “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the pacing. It may be a bit nitpicky, but I felt as if the movie was a bit slow at times. There is a lot of focus on the parts of Freddie’s life that, yes are very important to his story, but sometimes come across as being a little boring. I think this could’ve been easily rectified if they made these segments as upbeat and fun as the rest of the movie. Make no mistake; this entire film is fantastic from start to finish even with the slow scenes.
As a huge fan of the band, Queen, I was instantly drawn to this film. I was hoping for some sort of final hoorah for Freddie, that I felt like he never got due to his sudden and tragic illness. After watching the movie, I was left extremely satisfied and felt as if they couldn’t have done a better job of solidifying Freddie Mercury as the king, or should I say the Queen, of rock and roll.
