Bohemian Rhapsody Review

Is this real life? Or is this just fantasy? In truth, this movie is both. 20th Century Fox’s smash hit Bohemian Rhapsody chronicles the life of Freddie Mercury and the rest of Queen, one of the most successful rock bands of all time.

For longtime Queen fans, this was the first time the British rock group was ever memorialized on the big screen, and it’s not without critique. I like to consider myself one of the biggest Queen fans around.

 I was raised on them,I saw them in concert a few years ago, and I’ve watched countless documentaries. I consider Freddie Mercury as one of my biggest role models, so this was a huge moment for me.

And I wasn’t disappointed. Bohemian Rhapsody was one of the few movies to really make me cry, which makes sense for me given my emotional connection to the story. But not for the dozens of people sobbing around me.

The movie focuses primarily on the life of Freddie Mercury from his early days as a Parsi immigrant in England, to the rise to fame of Queen and its founding members. And it didn’t shy away from the rough patches, including Mercury’s struggle with addiction, his sexual identity, and his battle with AIDS.

The casting was perfect. Emmy Award Winner, Rami Malek, played the perfect Mercury, which is impressive considering that he wasn’t the first choice for the role. I was especially taken aback by the actor who portrayed guitarist Brian May, to the point that I was convinced that they computer de-aged him.

The best way to describe this movie is part concert, part biopic. I was completely floored by the last scene of the film, in which the production team recreated Queen’s famous Live Aid performance, down to the most nuanced movements. It was jaw dropping.

Like most movies, Bohemian Rhapsody has its flaws. Historical inaccuracies plagued the film, and many have criticized the portrayal of Mercury’s sexuality. Despite this, executive producers Brian May and Roger Taylor, guitarist and drummer of the band, standby the film and are happy with how they told their story as well as Freddie Mercury’s.

Bohemian Rhapsody isn’t reserved for die hard Queen fans like me. Like Queen’s music, it’s for everybody, from today’s teens, to older generations, to nobodies looking for a place to belong.

While opinions on the movie are split at best, the true fantasy of Queen’s rise to fame is admirable regardless. This movie is mesmerizing, funny, gut wrenching, and inspiring, just like Queen.