It’s painfully obvious that much of the on-screen drama is manufactured. The band (and Mercury) deserve better in that aspect.
Growing up in the 1970s, Queen was a staple of my musical upbringing. Their music was all over the Top 40 and album radio stations I listened to at the time. At 10 years old, I decided that I was going to try and set a world record by listening to their album News of the World over and over again. (That attempt lasted all of two hours.) That album remains one of my all-time favorites.
So, when I heard that the story of the band was going to be made into a motion picture, my interest was immediately piqued. Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) was originally cast as Freddie Mercury, the band’s flamboyant and talented lead singer. That fell through due to “creative differences” and Rami Malek (TV’s Mr. Robot) was cast in the role. Bryan Singer eventually landed in the director’s chair but he was eventually fired after erratic behavior onset. (He was replaced by Dexter Fletcher, although Singer retains credit.) Interested as I was, I figured the movie was going to be a disaster. Bohemian Rhapsody manages to be watchable and entertaining but it’s flawed.
Beginning in 1970, we find a young Farrokh Bulsara (Malek) approaching Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and Brian May (Gwilym Lee) about singing for their band, Smile, after they lose their original singer. Adding a bass player, John Deacon (Joe Mazzello), the band becomes Queen. Bulsara adopts the stage name Freddie Mercury and the movie chronicles the band moving through the stages of their career. From recording their first album to their earth-moving performance at Live Aid in 1985, Bohemian Rhapsody moves through the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s like an episode of Behind the Music.
The script, written by Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour), checks off points in the band’s history like a grocery list. Even though the film runs over two hours, it never stops to linger over much more than career-defining events. When it does pause and unveil a bit of insight, the timeline of events has been altered so much that it’s painfully obvious that much of the on-screen drama is manufactured. The band (and Mercury) deserve better in that aspect.
The creation of trademark songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust” are highlighted and, each time, the band seems to know that they’ll be massive hits. In fact, in many scenes, the band are portrayed as the wisest people in a room as if they’d already seen their legacy written out before them.
The film treats Mercury’s sexual preferences as if they were the cause of the band’s internal problems (at least as they are depicted in the film.) As Mercury’s “conventional” relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) falters, so does his stability and reliability. Once Paul Prenter (Allen Leech) enters Mercury’s life and proclaims that he “knows” Mercury is gay, things spiral out of control for Freddie. Brian May and Roger Taylor (credited as producers) are portrayed as if fame never affected them negatively at all. I highly doubt that’s true.
Rami Malek, however, is perfect as Freddie Mercury. From the trademark overbite (the result of Mercury’s four extra incisors) to the larger-than-life stage moves, Malek nails the look and mannerisms of the singer. The singing is left to lip-synching (with the voice of Marc Martel mixed in with Freddie’s) and that’s probably for the best when dealing with a voice as distinct and familiar as Mercury’s.
For all of its flaws, Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t terrible and the concert scenes are very energetic. (The recreation of the band’s set at Live Aid is jaw-dropping.) I just take exception to the sugar-coated version of the band’s history and relationships. Casual fans of the band probably won’t notice (or care.) And, if the movie leads people to discover (or rediscover) Queen’s varied discography, I can’t complain too much.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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