Today’s quick review: Bohemian Rhapsody. In London in 1970, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) joins lead guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee), drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and bass guitarist John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) to form Queen. The band’s creative energy and Freddie’s flamboyant personality soon propel them to the top. But their success is accompanied by dramatic changes in Freddie’s personal life that jeopardize his health and the band’s future.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a biographical drama about the band Queen and its lead singer Freddie Mercury. Bohemian Rhapsody covers the history of Queen from its formation to its peak in the 1980s. The film focuses in particular on the ups and downs of Freddie Mercury’s life, from his heartfelt but increasingly strained relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) to the extravagant, self-destructive lifestyle he took up at the height of the band’s success.
Bohemian Rhapsody’s chief appeal lies in its soundtrack. The movie has the entirety of Queen’s song catalog to choose from, and it manages to work in nearly all of their greatest hits, along with recreations of some of their most famous concerts. There are occasional rough spots where songs are cut down for time—as well as a time or two when the opposite occurs and the movie gets lost in song—but the cavalcade of hits is bound to please any Queen fan.
Bohemian Rhapsody does have slight pacing issues as a result of fitting two decades of band history into a single film. The early portion of the film is a whirlwind introduction to Queen and their rise to the top. The rest of the film takes a more selective approach, focusing on Freddie Mercury’s personal struggles and tensions within the band. Overall, the movie finds a good mix of band moments, professional history, and personal drama to spend its time on.
The sheer volume of material it has to cover governs the way Bohemian Rhapsody handles its drama. The movie skims through the highlights of Queen’s career and Freddie’s life, stopping just long enough to evoke a mood or document a pivotal moment before moving on. These brief stops are enough to tell an effective story, but they lack the depth and cohesion that a narrower approach might have had. Whether this is a positive or a negative comes down to taste.
Strong dramatic performances and an excellent soundtrack make Bohemian Rhapsody worth a watch for those who want what it has to offer. Those interested in either the music or the story of Freddie Mercury will get what they’re looking for. Those hoping for a more focused story that delves deeper in to the lives of the band will get less out of it.
8.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for solid drama and a memorable soundtrack.