Review by John M. Delia, Jr.
The story of one of the most famous and influential music performing bands of all time, depicts how important music was to the world. The artistry created with the operatic but poetic music that rocked our realm was one for the ages. This film presentation is a historical rock concert celebrating these musical heroes that gave us a fantastic tour of what rock music can be.
The motion picture Bohemian Rhapsody depicts how the band Queen met and began their amazing ride to stardom, including the hardships and many bumps along the way. It is performed through the eyes of Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and shows his experiences that he went through on his amazing ride the band gave us. With all the struggles the musical group endured presenting their artistry to the world and the life they all were about to live, introduces all the wonders of their infectious music.
Freddie Mercury aka Farrokh Bulsara is an ambitious and inspiring singer and song writer that is searching for a band to bring to stardom. During one of his nightly visits to the local night clubs he spots a band called “Smile†and he begins to follow them. Led by guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee), drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy), and singer Tim Staffell they were gaining popularity among the college scene.
One night Tim brakes the news to the band that he’s leaving, and puts the group on the verge of breaking up. When Freddie finally introduces himself to the band, history is born. With the hiring of John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello) to be the new bassist and keyboardist, the band becomes Queen.
Director Bryan Singer does a fantastic job recreating this historical storyline that delivers an excellent musical depiction of the bands rise to fame. From his previous experience with the X-Men and Superman films, he develops a masterpiece that is sure to entertain. He also manages to keep as close as possible to the true story and presents it as a spectacular musical opera. The performance from each actor was magnificent and helps you get a deeper understanding of each band member’s role throughout the rise to stardom.
This magical time of rock n roll being told in Queen’s artistic style, helps develop the story even further. It goes beyond the just a story by with the music helping us “feel†the history, rather than just watching it unfold in front of us.
Final Comment: I based my grade on an excellent storyline, the musical theme chosen to tell the story and a blast from the past music that we will remember throughout the ages. (4 out of 5 stars)
Additional Film Information
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boyton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aiden Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, and Mike Myers.
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, suggestive material, drug content and language.
Running Time: 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Release Date:Â November 2, 2018
Distributed By: Twentieth Century Fox
Released In: Standard, Dolby Digtial