I was never a Queen fan, not because I didn't like them but I didn't really know them, or at least I didn't think I did. A few years ago a friend of mine told me about his Queen collection of music and how much he loves them. I decided to get a couple of albums and give it a listen, this was a few years before the movie was announced. I was surprised by how many songs I recognized and didn't know was Queen.
A few years later Bohemian Rhapsody was announced and I didn't think much of it. I am not a big fan of documentary movies and more interested in drama/comedy movies like Rock Star & Almost Famous. I eventually caved in after hearing endless rave reviews of the movie.
It took about 5-10 minutes until I was completely enthralled by the movie. I spent a good portion of that being blown away by how well Rami Malek played Freddie. I watched a bit of Mr. Robot and Rami absolutely killed it as Freddie Mercury.
Freddie Mercury lived a fascinating life and the movie spares no expense detailing it. When the inevitable final reveal happens, I felt emotionally crushed as a result of the emotional bond I felt with Freddie throughout the movie. He was one of those stars that shined brighter than the rest and he knew it.
Prior to seeing the movie, I heard a lot of people talk about how true to life the movie was. In fact, if you watch the Live Aid concert side by side, the attention to detail is mind-blowing. It was one of the details that got me interested in seeing the movie in the first place.
Live Aid Side by Side with Bohemian Rhapsody
(I recommend watching this immediately after you watch the movie)
There is a part of the movie that talks about how the songs like We Will Rock You were created and it really goes to show how revolutionary Queen was at the time.
Surprisingly the critic reviews were not very good, but make no mistake Bohemian Rhapsody is a masterpiece. As I said before, documentaries are not really my favorite but Bohemian Rhapsody was probably my favorite movie I saw in 2019 (although it came out in 2018, I did not see it in the theater).
After you see the movie, I highly recommend you watch the full Queen set from Live Aid available on YouTube. I also recommend watching the side by side video mentioned above if you haven't seen it by this point.
Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/424694-bohemian-rhapsody?language=en-US
Critic: AAA
All images from IMDb unless sourced
I really like the movie, though in India we usually never hear about any of the bands. More than the content in the movie, I really liked the Freddie character and the acting was top class.
loved it
I'm glad you discovered the Live Aid set. Its an absolutely classic performance and even on the day, as I sat at home watching it live, my mates and I knew Queen had smashed it.
I saw Queen live at Elland Road (Leeds United ground) in 1982. I'd got the ticket for my 16th Birthday and it was amazing but I could actually see very little!!
As for the movie. I haven't seen it. In the clips and trailers I just didn't think he quite looked the part and the rest of the band's actors looked just a little odd.
Its on TV here nextweek so I might just take a look now.
Great review! Tip for next time, use realityhubs tag too, they accept all manner of reviews and do nice upvotes and are very well moderated!
Come back after you saw it and let me know what you think as a Queen fan. I loved the movie, and it really got me interested in Queen.
1982 Queen ! Impressive
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I was amazed... I'm big fan and I watched this movie 3 times :) not just movie, I watched many story's about Queens and interviews and I need to say that Malek rocked in this movie, this part was perfect for him...and Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor were consultant for this movie so story is pretty accurate.
Been meaning to get to this one...
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Yeah i saw it many years after its release same as you. To be honest i forgot it came and went from theaters over here in Thailand because honestly, anything that doesn't have robots or The Rock in it doesn't tend to stay in this country for very long.
I thought it was magnificent and I learned an awful lot about Freddy watching it as well that I didn't know previously.
I later found out that Sasha Baron Cohen was originally supposed to play the role (and he would have suited that role perfectly) but there were "creative" differences and that never happened. I guess it doesn't really matter because Malek was outstanding.
I can't understand the negative press that the movie received but well, i tend to not agree with professional critics anyway.
There aren't many films that I would gladly watch a second time, but this is certainly one of them.
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I can't imagine Sasha Baron Cohen playing Freddie Mercury. In fact, at this point, I can't imagine anyone but Rami playing him.
yeah, Rami did pretty much knock it out of the park, so to speak. I was just referring to the fact that Cohen actually looks like Mercury and also can sing... well, presuming that he actually sang his stuff in Sweeney Todd.
In the end i think it was a wise choice to go with Rami even if Cohen hadn't backed out just because when you look at Cohen it is kind of difficult to not expect him to pull a Borat at some point.
I was also gutted Sasha Baron Cohen didn't play him, he had the face and the physical presence and I'm sure would have been incredible. Rami just looked a little lightweight and not flamboyant enough and in the trailers all I could think about was Mr Robot.....which is how I think about Marky lol
Absolutely spot on about Thailand. My local Major once had every screen bar one with Avengers and the other showing one of those awful Thai 'romantic comedies'
this happens a lot over here buddy and I am happy to see that you know what i mean. Avengers is probably still in cinemas now but if Rhapsody was in the theater for more than a weekend i would be surprised. Oh well, different markets, different tastes!
Very true, We need more revolutionary queen in the real world. "We will rock you" still fulfills me with a lot of joy and enthusiasm.
I think it was portrayed with such accuracy, I even read Brian May's (who by the way looks so much like the actor chosen) getting emotional about the details. I was not the BIGGEST fan of Queen but I've always admired Freddie as a vocalist and some of the songs the band wrote are gold... I was more a Tears for Fears fan back then who by the way declined to be in that concert and kind of regretted I think.
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The movie was smashing!!!!
That side by side is incredible
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