Bohemian Rhapsody (directed mostly by Bryan Singer)
is a surprisingly captivating biography of Freddie Mercury, the legendary
singer of Queen, featuring a career
making performance by Remi Malek.
The
story flashes back to the early 1970’s with the talented, rebellious Freddie
Mercury (Malek) who joins a local band as lead singer with his phenomenal vocal
abilities while befriending Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), who will become a
lifelong friend. As Mercury and the band, now called Queen, evolve their music
and persona, their popularity grows with global tours and ambitious, groundbreaking
albums. In the era of AIDS, when his excessive living and fame threatens to
disrupt the band and isolate him from the things that truly matter, a major
music event, Live Aid, with a worldwide audience of over one billion viewers looms.
There
are revealing moments of creativity (though slightly fictionalized) amid many,
great Queen songs. It’s a study in contrast between Mercury’s lonely genius and
his bandmates with their wives. While his
flamboyant tastes and style are on display throughout, the film touches on,
perhaps too briefly, his sexuality and his family life especially the conflict
between his father’s wishes and forging his own musical path. But this does not
detract from the film’s overall impact.
Queen’s
last hurrah at Live Aid is memorable, and what a finish it is with its recreation
of Mercury galvanizing a capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium. It is
here that the story transcends its clichés and picks up the emotional threads
for a powerful, moving payoff, a culmination with Malek, who is simply
marvelous and convincing as the icon.
Sure, the film is old fashioned, but it’s a real crowd pleaser that
lingers in the mind.
**** of
**** stars (for Queen fans and cat lovers)
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