Bohemian Rhapsody

So...what do the critics know? Bohemian Rhapsody re-couped its costs within a couple of days of opening! A sure-fire crowd-pleaser...with great big daubs of sadness and nostalgia.

By no means is it the perfect bio-pic, riddled [as it, negligently, is] with clumsy errors, complete fabrications...and, a weird chronology of music...Bohemian Rhapsody has been a troubled production from its inception, through pre-and-post production...Sasha Baron Cohen and Bryan Singer, both being relieved of their services!

Then, there were the mouse-strangling, armchair activists screaming for a boycott, due to an alleged straight-washing of Freddie - they hadn't even seen the film, only the trailer! By no stretch of the imagination has Freddie been straight-washed in this film! Quite the contrary...like many men and women of that time [myself included], sexuality was like stepping-stones...from heterosexual to bisexual to homosexual. Freddie, like many others, went through this tried and tested rigmarole...until he/we could finally be ourselves. The film - quite clearly - shows this process...shutting those mouse-stranglers up...alas, until their next hissy fit!

Few can boast the amount of deep-felt affection that Freddie Mercury [still] holds...in the hearts of many. I was lucky enough to be at Live Aid, saw Queen at Knebworth, attended a 'notorious' Freddie party...and, more recently, witnessed Adam Lambert pay an extraordinary tribute...

Indeed, the biggest of shoes to fill...and, Rami Malek slips into them perfectly, doing Freddie justice. It is an exacting performance...from the playful to the camp, from the heterosexual to homosexual...from centrepiece to solitaire, from the esprit de corps back to the esprit de corps - he was somewhat de-railed due to the tyranny of Paul Prenter!

Bohemian Rhapsody does not pull any punches when it comes to Prenter, he is utterly villianized...neither does it back away from some of the [infamously] bad decisions some record executives made concerning the ascent of Queen and their music. Nor, from a few stumbles Queen made themselves...that shambolic press conference, the [preposterous] backlash received from the 'I Want to Break Free' video...

And then, there are the triumphs: Live Aid. Let's be honest [for those who were there], the concert wasn't exactly going well...that is, until...Queen stepped on the stage. From thereon in, everything changed. What a day...uncannily recreated with a mighty swathe of nostalgia. We are the Champions...the emotion gushed forth!

With a bit more due care and attention, Bohemian Rhapsody could have been the seminal bio-pic...but, despite the obvious flaws...it stands tall, how could it not? With that music and an incredible incarnation of Freddie himself. The emotion that Mr Malek generates is - at times - [surprisingly] overwhelming...and, with the bon viveur and camaraderie within the band being captured with the teases and taunts and such affection...it will warm the cockles of your heart...and then, with the liberties taken with the facts, it will break it!

A glorious performance of the greatest performer...with the all aches and heartbreaks...what an incredible ride!

Bohemian Rhapsody has exceeded all expectations, pleasing [most importantly] the fans along the way. What do critics know? Not a lot, it would seem!

Official Trailer...

Teaser Trailer...