Bohemian Rhapsody

Everyone loves Queen and no matter what, they will always be iconic. They’re responsible for producing those songs that always play at family gatherings or house parties that everyone knows the words to and everyone secretly loves.

I recently watched the biopic starring Oscar winning Rami Malek and it reinforced my belief that Queen and more importantly, Freddie Mercury, are icons.

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The film follows the life of Freddie Mercury with the opening and closing scenes surrounding Queen’s 1985 performance at LiveAid in Wembley Stadium. The film also features the highs and lows of Queen and Freddie’s downward spiral into a life of wild partying.

Yes, it has to be said, some parts of the movie were not factually accurate, but come on, it’s a movie it has to be dramatised and there has to be a plot so of course some of it was changed for film purposes. They wanted to fit as much of Freddie’s life into the movie as they possibly could. To me, this criticism can be forgiven.

The film is a masterpiece and anyone who watches it can’t help but sing along and smile as we see how Queen came to create some of their biggest hits. I understand why die- hard fans would be disappointed that some of it is not accurate however, nobody can deny that the film draws you in.

Rami Malek’s portrayal of Mercury was hauntingly accurate, his mannerisms, his voice everything about it was spot on. You cannot take your eyes off him. It was a pleasure to watch him perform on stage as Freddie even if it was just an actor’s portrayal. In my opinion it was a very well- deserved Oscar.

Another actor who I thought stood out was Gwilym Lee who played guitarist Brian May. Whoever decided to cast him made a good decision. Watching Lee mimic May’s iconic guitar solos was enough to make anyone smile, watching those classics form right before your eyes was a strange sensation. The thought of knowing how huge those songs were going to be yet in the film, a lot of Queen’s music was experimental derived from Mercury’s imagination with the support of his band mates. The classics we all know and love were very much a risk at the time of their release.

And lastly, we need to talk about the LiveAid scene. The opening scene of Mercury pulling back the curtain to reveal the audience of one hundred thousand people set the tone for a fabulous film but getting through the film to finally get to watch the full scene felt like a reward and it was worth every minute.

The whole thing was a dream to watch and felt like a true tribute to Freddie Mercury. By closing a film depicting his life with the performance Queen are arguably most celebrated for. The envy I felt towards anyone who had the pleasure to watch the real LiveAid in 1985 was unbelievable. Also brilliant casting choice for Dermot Murphy as Bob Geldof, the resemblance was uncanny.

Bohemian Rhapsody provided smiles, giggles and maybe even a little tear here and there. Overall for me, it was well worth the watch and I would recommend to anyone whether you’re a fan of Queen or not. It wasn’t about their music it was about one man and his rise to fame with all the struggles that came with it.

Freddie, we lost you too soon but hopefully people will watch Bohemian Rhapsody and remember what a true legend you are.