Rami Malek as Freddie, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Joe Mazzello as John Deacon, and Lucy Boynton as Freddie’s lifelong companion Mary Austin, do an admirable job considering this ‘Twisted Rubik’s Cube’ of a script.
Bohemian Rhapsody is a seriously disjointed biopic of Freddie Mercury and Queen from multiple viewpoints. The film simply dances around every complex facet of Freddie’s life, while the rest of the band become supporting characters. The timeline is convoluted, and we know nothing about Freddie’s childhood, or who fostered his genius both vocally and instrumentally.
Apparently, Freddie mysteriously appeared from nowhere as a full-fledged professional musician. Equally bizarre are no back-stories on Drummer Roger Taylor, Guitarist Brian May and Bassist John Deacon. All of whom also have incredible voices which made Queen’s operatic harmonies so incredibly powerful and distinctive.
Chronologically, things are all over the place adding to even more confusion. Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 1975, yet we hear ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ which wasn’t recorded until 1978 being played much earlier in the movie. Also, the ‘Live Aid’ performance happened in 1985, two years before Freddie was diagnosed with HIV in 1987. He passed away in 1991, the same year that Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Bohemian Rhapsody’ soundtrack is the best part of the film, the rest is just another example of ‘Revisionist History’ at its worst. This is not even close to the ‘REAL’ Freddie Mercury. What’s presented onscreen is an insult to everything that Freddie was. Turning him into nothing more than a second-rate caricature.
Freddie Mercury deserves so much more than this ‘Filmic Travesty,’ which came out in playing at the beginning when it wasn’t recorded. This movie insults the memory of Queen was successful because all four members worked together as a tight-knit unit just like the Beatles. Rhapsody needs correcting.