“Bohemian Rhapsody” is a film with some contention behind the scenes when original director, Bryan Singer, was fired and then replaced by Dexter Fletcher. In seems fitting that a film about the rock band Queen has its own baggage that could be a reflection that the original band members had to endure with each other.
It is very easy to see how much work Rami Malek put into his interpretation of iconic lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Although Mercury is at the center, the actors portraying the other band members held their own as well. I am not familiar with much of the details concerning the personalities of each of the four members of Queen, but I imagine the performances I saw did them justice. The surviving members had some input in aspects of the production.
The film has a good balance of humor and heartache throughout. It was fascinating to see the origin of some of the more iconic hits. It does a good job of highlighting the talent of Mercury and other band members. Although the focus was mainly on Freddie Mercury, it did also emphasize that the band had a more collaborative approach when it came to the actual creation of their music.
Mercury was a complicated guy with some complicated relationships. His relationship with Mary Austin, played by Lucy Boynton, was quite compelling, especially when his bisexual tendencies come into play.
Although there were was a lot about Mercury’s decisions that didn’t sit well with me, I found some sympathy for many of the struggles he seemed to have with identifying those people in his life that truly cared for him.
The film is leading up to the Live Aid performance in July, 1985 I which the reenactment was quite stunning.
Although it is an overall amazing film, I would have liked to see a little more time placed into the development of the relationship between the bandmates in the beginning. There are times that I thought some important moments were glossed over, however I also understand the danger of the film getting too long and cumbersome as well.
In spite of the friction and drama that went on behind the cameras, the film came out surprisingly well. I am not a diehard Queen fan, but I found much to appreciate in this film and discovered a profound respect for the talent of the band members themselves.
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