Given the recent buzz surrounding music biopics (not to mention the song that shares this film’s name turns 50 soon), I figured it would be good to revisit not only the best, but the one that started the craze. This is “Throwback Corner: Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“Bohemian Rhapsody” holds a special place in my heart, in large part due to nostalgia. On my 14th birthday, my mother and stepfather dismissed me from class early to go see the movie, which I loved. Later that day, the “Avengers: Endgame” trailer premiered and we all went to a steakhouse for dinner. Not bad if you ask me! Now, what of the movie itself?
“Bohemian Rhapsody”, directed by Bryan Singer, is a biographical drama celebrating the historical rise of legendary British rock band Queen and most notably its iconic frontman, Freddie Mercury (who I have gone as far to say is the best in music history). Mercury is portrayed outstandingly by Rami Malek, who deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Actor as a result. This and the next year’s selection of Joaquin Phoenix for “Joker” capped off the 2010’s quite well. Malek excellently captures Mercury’s charisma, flamboyance, and vulnerability with remarkable precision. His physicality, energy, and emotional depth bring the singer to life, balancing the rock star’s on-stage confidence with his personal insecurities (namely his sexuality and relationship with the band) and loneliness.
Outside of Malek’s stellar performance, the film’s musical sequences are its greatest triumph. Hit songs such as “We Will Rock You”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, and, of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, are all recreated with electrifying detail. This was especially potent seeing as how the film was enjoyed by several millennials and Gen Z-ers such as myself, all of whom were either not alive or too young to remember this particular era of music. In fact, this movie was responsible for getting me into Queen’s music. While I did enjoy some of their big tunes, such as the titular song (side note – that Mike Myers cameo was Chef’s Kiss), 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” is what made me listen to the band’s entire catalogue the following day. Now, Queen is a Top 10 band for me.
In particular, the climactic Live Aid scene is extremely powerful, being a near shot-for-shot recreation that makes audiences feel as if they are actually witnessing the powerhouse 1985 concert live. Another side note is that ending the film with said concert, as opposed to dramatizing Mercury’s final years battling HIV, was a genius creative move. Again, “Bohemian Rhapsody” strives here where other biopics falter. While subsequent musical biographies such as “Rocketman” and “A Complete Unknown” were moderately enjoyed by fans, none of these movies succeeded in placing viewers in that era, a necessity in my humble opinion.
In conclusion, “Bohemian Rhapsody is an amazing film, both due to its reverence of Freddie Mercury and successfully connecting to the audience through the timeless magic of music!