Bohemian Rhapsody. A movie review.

Rami Malek of Mr Robot fame playing Freddy Mercury? Lots of Queen hits with amazing sound? Bring it on!

I’m a Queen fan from way back. I have all their albums, and Brian May continues to be my all-time favourite rock guitarist. So, as soon as I heard Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic of Freddy and the band, was being filmed, I was as good as in a seat. They had my money, no matter what.

Now I’ve seen it I can honestly say I enjoyed it. However…

I guess the biggest letdowns were the missed opportunities to see not only some of the major issues the band faced early in its career (the stoush with their first manager, for instance), the other band members getting short shrift in terms of screen time, and Freddy’s character seeming a little two dimensional, given the amount of story devoted to him. Some of the scenes dragged, especially the ones with Freddy and Mary. But a movie can only be so long, and for the benefit of story a few things needed to be cut, a few historical liberties taken. Rami Malek makes up for it with a wonderful performance as Freddy, capturing the essence of the man, if not always the presence.

Bohemian Rhapsody is an enjoyable ride, even if it’s not destined to be the best Queen movie ever made. I’m sure that’s yet to come.

Rating: B-