“Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) – Bryan Singer’s Magnificent Musical Biopic About Freddie Mercury

Director: Bryan Singer

Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton and Gwilym Lee

‘A Breathtaking Biopic’

Few musicians in Rock and Roll history have created a legacy as strong as Freddie Mercury. Following his rise to stardom during the 1970’s, Mercury proved to be a fantastic singer composing memorable melodies. With his larger-than-life stage presence, charisma and flamboyant persona, Mercury became an icon in music. Keen to have his voice be heard, Mercury became the frontman of the legendary rock band Queen. However, Mercury’s career was cut tragically short when he was diagnosed with AIDS during the 1980’s. Under pressure, Mercury struggled to cope with an illness that put his career in grave danger. In 1991, the beloved rock star passed away from AIDS that came with a painful price to pay. The iconic frontman of Queen left behind an indelible legacy which definitely deserves to be celebrated on the big-screen.

In 2018, the life story of the powerful musician was brought to the big-screen for the first time in “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Bryan Singer’s Oscar-winning movie did an excellent job celebrating an iconic band that composed timeless melodies. Boasting strong production-design, engaging storytelling and phenomenal performances, it’s a magnificent musical biopic. At the centre of it all is Rami Malek, who portrays a larger-than-life personality of an iconic musician. Although “Bohemian Rhapsody” is undeniably engaging, it isn’t a flawless movie. It’s poorly paced and builds to formulaic conclusions. Nevertheless, it offers enjoyable entertainment that fans of the world-famous rock band simply won’t be able to resist.

Set in the 1970’s, “Bohemian Rhapsody” tells the true story of the formation of a rock band that changed history. Rami Malek portrays Freddie Mercury, an outsider with dreams of becoming a famous singer. Freddie’s dreams come true when he creates the famous rock band Queen. Rising to popularity, Queen becomes an iconic band with a lasting legacy. However, Freddie’s dreams of success are destroyed when he faces the diagnosis of AIDS causing stress. Facing tensions, Freddie’s views on music clash with band members. Under pressure, Freddie starts to question whether it’s possible any longer to become a successful singer.

Bryan Singer is a newcomer to the stories of musicians. Before he directed “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Singer had never produced a musical biopic before. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to capture the legacy of a legendary musician in history, but he succeeded. Visually, the film is a feast for the eyes as stunning as melodies that Queen seeks to devise. Using spellbinding cinematography, Singer captures a musician embarking on a journey to achieve prosperity. Singer expertly employs montages capturing a band’s rise to popularity. For instance, montages elevate the band touring scene. During this unforgettable scene, Queen goes on a tour across the country. Through clever montages, Singer celebrates the legacy of a band which transformed rock and roll history. Using breathtaking visuals, Singer celebrates a legendary band composing melodies that are enduring.

Another admirable aspect of “Bohemian Rhapsody” is the musical sequences. Singer effectively recreates Queen’s iconic Live Aid concert through live singing. In most musical films, the actors pre-record melodies before filming. However, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is different. Singer took a huge risk by using live singing, but it worked immensely in this movie. For instance, live singing elevates the Live Aid scene. During this memorable scene, the band perform their greatest hit melodies in a live musical performance that’s exhilarating. The scene is so incredibly well done that it bears similarities to the real-life Live Aid concert. Through using live singing, Singer celebrates a band which is engaging. Moreover, the music is phenomenal. Queen’s melodies are effectively used to build excitement and enhance storytelling. Through exceptional production-design, Singer honours a breathtaking band composing melodies that shine.

Amidst thrilling musical sequences, “Bohemian Rhapsody” finds time for engaging storytelling. The film is extremely well-written, and expertly uses scenes of silence to convey experience of a celebrated musician. Singer’s screenwriting strength is using silence to capture a musician struggling to cope with diseases impacting his experience. During the beginning of the movie, Freddie starts out as a talkative person which is excited to speak with people. However, as the movie progresses, his attitude changes. When he’s diagnosed with AIDS, Freddie becomes a withdrawn person that prefers to spend time alone. Silence enhances the scene where Freddie is in a state of drugs alone in his apartment. The silence captures the drastic transformation of a musician. Through silence, Singer honours a legendary musician’s experience. Silence is a tricky technique to use in music biopics. However, it works immensely in this movie. Using a spectacular screenplay, Singer celebrates a legendary musician in the world today.

One admires astonishing performances.

Rami Malek delivers a career-defining performance as Freddie Mercury. Malek achieved appreciation for playing anti-social hackers in television. With “Bohemian Rhapsody”, however, he took on his first biopic role. It isn’t easy to portray an iconic singer in rock history, but he succeeded. Through riveting expressions, he captures the angst, courage and flamboyant personality of a world-famous musician Not only does Malek physically resemble the musician but he nails his timeless melodies. It’s a phenomenal performance celebrating a legendary musician which had a huge impact on the world forever changing history.

The supporting cast is superb and also worthy of appreciation. Gwilym Lee is great, capturing the larger-than-life personality of Queen’s beloved guitarist with a strong passion for composing melodies. Ben Hardy is exceptional, bringing authority to Queen’s drummer whose strong views clash with the band members causing rivalries. Lastly, Lucy Boynton merits recognition As the love of Freddie Mercury’s life, she brings heartfelt emotion to the movie.

Despite its powerful performances, however, “Bohemian Rhapsody” can’t quite celebrate a legendary musician with a powerful legacy. If there’s one shortcoming to the movie, it lacks engaging pacing that viewers find entertaining. Singer’s choice to integrate subplots on Freddie Mercury’s homosexuality into the film is bold but doesn’t succeed entirely. Therefore, scenes focusing on Freddie Mercury’s discovery of his sexuality aren’t as engaging as his journey composing Queen melodies. While homosexuality was a pivotal part of Freddie Mercury’s life, it isn’t explored thoroughly enough in the movie. Moreover, the film suffers from a rushed running time. It skims over important events in Freddie Mercury’s life which aren’t explored. This drastic decision leaves little room for compelling character development. For instance, we barely get to know any of the band members of Queen besides Mercury himself. Musical biopics thrive based on their strong character development, and in this regard “Bohemian Rhapsody” falls short of expectations.

Nevertheless, fans of Queen will definitely appreciate “Bohemian Rhapsody” and so will movie-goers seeking exhilarating entertainment. A mesmerizing musical biopic, it celebrates the legacy of a renowned rock musician that’s iconic.

Nearly 40 years following formations of an iconic rock band composing memorable melodies under pressure created by a singer that changed the world forever, it’s a melodious tribute to a musician that earned a huge fan following for his abilities to compose memorable melodies about seeking somebody to love that suffered the hardships of AIDS that put his life in grave danger leading his career to end in disaster that left behind an indelible legacy whose larger-than-life stage presence fans will forever treasure.

4.5/5 stars