I like going to the movies alone to indulge in some quiet time. Preferably later at night or early in the morning. This time I decided to go see Bohemian Rhapsody. The critics hated this movie but I never believe the critics anyways. Although, Freddie Mercury was a legend so they have a lot to live up to if they want to successfully pull this off.
Where can I even start with this? I absolutely loved this movie. This movie is the epitome of "don't believe the critics." Of course the irony is that critics and music producers never like Queen but fans did.
I'll start with Rami Malek who played Freddie Mercury. Rami Malek does an impressive job of re-creating Mercury's moves onstage, but the core of the performance is Malek's intensely thoughtful, insight-rich channeling Mercury's hurt, his isolation even at the height of his fame. Not just for Freddie, but the casting for everyone was absolutely perfect. Gwilym Lee, the actor who played Brian May was a dead ringer for Queen's guitarist, Brian May. Even in pictures, I have a hard time telling those two apart.
The other members of Queen — Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and John Deacon (Joe Mazzello) — don’t get a lot of time to establish themselves, but they’re so visually right, you might think you’re watching a documentary. Even the real Brian May and the real drummer, Roger Taylor both adore the casting chosen for this film and were given final approval of the casting chosen. Brian May even says Rami Malek deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury.
To my surprise this film wasn't just about Freddy Mercury's lifestyle nor was it about the way he tragically died. Bohemian Rhapsody is a film that not only parallels the life of Mercury, but it also shows everything that goes into making a successful band. From their humble beginnings to the process of how music is made, their inspirations, what goes into making an album, and finally to the internal conflicts involved with the different personalities in a band. Bohemian Rhapsody beautifully illustrates what it truly means to be part of a successful band.
I believe the critics didn't like this movie because it didn't really go into Freddie's battle with AIDs or his sexuality. Freddie never wanted to be the poster child for AIDs, he even says that in the movie. He denied having AIDs until the very end. As for his sexuality, the movie was fairly blunt about his sexuality but it's not like it showed a gay sex scene. At the most, it hinted at that. You need to keep in mind that Freddie wanted the focus to be on his music. There's even a scene where Queen is at a press conference and he is getting bombarded with questions about his sexuality and his health, and he adamantly denies everything.
I think if the movie went into his battle with AIDs and/or his sexuality, and focused less on his music, Freddie would've hated it. Sacha Baron Cohen was supposed to star in this movie, but left. In a recent interview with Howard Stern, he talked about his creative differences with Queen, and specifically, Brian May. While Cohen wanted to make a movie focusing on Mercury's "wild" life, he said the band weren't interested in telling those stories and he had criticism from Brian May for wanting to get into that. I am really happy Brian May fought for Sacha Baron Cohen to not star as Freddie Mercury, he would've made a mockery of Freddie Mercury. Especially since he wanted to focus on aspects of Freddie's life, that Freddie was adamantly against showing the public.
Not to say that the movie doesn't say that Freddie had AIDS or that it hid his sexuality. It was pretty blunt in saying he was bisexual. As for his battle with AIDs, there are scenes that he has difficulty even coughing, it shows that he was always in pain, and in one scene he says, "what if I don't have time?" As for his sexuality, the movie was more blunt in saying he was sexual with Mary Austin at one time. I think the movie stated he was sexual with men, instead of showing a scene about it. Again, Freddie always said he wanted his private life to stay private.
This movie is fabulous just like Freddie. What this is, is celebration of Freddie and his music. It is not a condemnation of his sexuality, nor is it the story of a gay activist. Freddy wasn't that. Those of you who were lucky enough to be alive and followed the band can tell you, that while he was very flamboyant he was not announcing those things in words. It was a very different time and while his fans accepted him, general society wouldn't have.
As for the music, the music was actually lip-synced. I think that's another reason the critics didn't like it but I am happy for that. Again, Freddie Mercury was a legend. I think if they tried to do the music themselves, they would've crashed and burned. You just can't recreate a legend like queen or Freddie Mercury. I really thought the music was fantastic and I felt like a fly on the wall watching Queens concerts. Especially during the Live Aid scene. They even recreated the Live Aid scene. All 20 minutes and who doesn't love that?
I think if you knew nothing about Queen, you'd think Freddie croaked right after the Live Aid concert. Again, I think the movie doesn't go into Freddie's death because Freddie wouldn't have wanted that. I probably would've cried if they showed a death scene of Freddie. After the movie, the credits say what happen to Freddie and what happened to Queen.
This was undoubtedly one of the most impactful movies I've seen in a long time. I teared up at the scene of Freddie Mercury singing his heart out during the Live Aid scene where you can really feel the energy, especially knowing in the back of my mind that he was dying.
This movie really showed me truly how magnificent Queen really was. The casting of this movie was wonderful, the acting by every single band member was top notch. Queen faced biting reviews when the title song came out but was loved then and now by millions. Screw the critics. They never liked Queen anyways. If you haven't seen this movie, you seriously need to see this movie.
Edit:
I just realized that today was the day that Freddie Mercury passed. He's been gone for 27 years but he is still loved and remembered. Still the greatest showman to walk the planet aaaanndd I'm going to cry.
"Too late, my time has come
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time
Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth
Mama, ooh, I don't want to die
I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all"
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