“Bohemian Rhapsody” Movie Review
The bio-pic of Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is nothing short of a masterpiece. The movie covers the discovery of Freddie Mercury, the band becoming the infamous “Queen” that it was and all the hardships they dealt with throughout their lives. Behind the music of Queen were four individuals who had a passion for music and wanted to give the world just that.
Farrokh Bulsara, who was later known as Mercury, wanted to live his life as a performer. He had Parsi roots instilled in him and his family practiced Zoroastrianism. His personality was unlike any other and his style was indescribable. There was no one word to explain Mercury, and he felt the same way.
Fans of Queen saw the surface of each of these individuals, but there was so much depth to them. There were so many obstacles Queen had to face as a band, which this movie documented well. Queen’s success was full of highs, but also saw many lows as well. They struggled to find their sound at times, and they also struggled with people giving them direction. They had their own visions in mind, but producers wanted them to be a standard rock 'n' roll band. They knew they were capable of so much more and wanted to prove that. When creating the song, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” there was a lot of backlash from the label. Since “Bohemian Rhapsody” was six minutes long, the label didn’t want to put it out as their single because it didn’t fit a “radio format.” If Queen didn’t leave that label and listened to their criticism, they wouldn’t have had the success that they did.
The movie also analyzes Mercury’s personal life and his relationship with Mary Austin. Mercury had this flamboyant side to him, but many thought that this was just apart of his performer persona. Austin and Mercury met at a bar before Queen was even created, and he was persistent after that to make sure Austin was in his life. He proposed to her, and preached that he was going to take care of her forever. As the movie progresses, Mercury’s mind wanders and he struggles with his identity; he seemed to be unsure about his sexuality, which confused him throughout his life. The movie puts a viewer in the center of his emotions, as his vulnerability is inspiring to witness.
Musically, the movie covers all of Queen’s greatest hits including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions,” “Somebody to Love,” “Another One Bites the Dust” and more.
It was obvious that Queen enjoyed being experimental with their music, as they were trying to enter the disco era with “Another One Bites the Dust.” For the song, “We Will Rock You,” the movie shows the thought process behind the song, as they wanted it to be an interactive song with the audience. This monumental song has stood the test of time.
Bryan Singer was the director in telling the story of the talented group. He has directed many action films including “Valkyrie,” “Superman Returns” and various X-Men movies to name a few. It was a challenge because Singer was fired by Fox due to repeated absences on set. Dexter Fletcher took over once Singer was fired, but Singer received directing credit because he was the one who directed the majority of the movie.
Fans of Queen will love this movie for its honest outlook on the band. It also captures the most iconic moments of the band, especially at their Live Aid performance. It’s a great movie for people who were teenagers or adults that grew up during the Queen era, but also great for people who want to learn about these colossal bands that shaped what rock 'n' roll is today.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Emily Mugno is a junior majoring in Broadcast Journalism. To contact her, email esm6@psu.edu.
